BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of long non-coding RNA LINC00657 remains ambiguous, and its role in prostate cancer (PCa) is not well characterized. This study aims to conduct a meta-analysis to clarify the clinical implications of LINC00657 in various malignancies and to assess its impact on PCa. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to identify relevant studies. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and associated clinicopathological factors were extracted. Subgroup analyses were performed based on sample size and cancer type. The expression levels of LINC00657 in PCa tissues were analyzed using the GTEx and TCGA databases. Additionally, transwell, wound healing, and EdU assays were utilized to evaluate cell migration and proliferation. An in vivo xenograft model was also employed to investigate the role of LINC00657 in PCa. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 11 eligible studies comprising 1,226 patients. Our findings indicate that overexpression of LINC00657 is significantly correlated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.26-2.91), distant metastasis (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.34-3.46), and advanced TNM staging (OR = 3.07, 95% CI: 1.22-7.74) across malignancies. Analysis of the TCGA and GTEx databases, corroborated by experiments in cell lines, revealed that LINC00657 is overexpressed in PCa. Furthermore, knockdown of LINC00657 resulted in reduced migration and invasion of PCa cells in vitro, as well as inhibited cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that LINC00657 plays an oncogenic role in PCa and could be a valuable indicator of poor prognosis in cancer.