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Combination of three miRNA (miR-141, miR-21, and miR-375) as potential diagnostic tool for prostate cancer
Paweł Porzycki1, Ewa Ciszkowicz2, Małgorzata Semik3
1Department of Urology, Municipal Hospital Rzeszow, 4 Rycerska Street, 35-241, Rzeszow, Poland.
Purpose:
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common tumor disease in western countries and a leading cause of cancer-driven mortality in men. Current methods for prostate cancer detection, like prostate-specific antigen screening, lead to significant overtreatment. The purpose of the study was to analyze circulating microRNAs in serum as non-invasive biomarkers in patients with diagnosis of prostate cancer and healthy individuals.
Methods:
This preliminary study included a population of 20 patients with mean age of 68.6 years and mean PSA of 21.3 ng/ml. Eight healthy patients were used as control. MiRNAs were quantified in the total RNA fraction extracted from serum and levels of five microRNAs (miR-106b, miR-141, miR-21, mir-34a, and miR-375) were quantified by RT-qPCR. Statistical analyses evaluated correlation between clinicopathological data and miRNAs expression levels.
Results:
Relative expression ratios of miR-106b, miR-141-3p, miR-21, and miR-375 were significantly increased (1.8-, 1.9-, 2.4-, and 2.6-fold, respectively) in the PCa group compared to healthy control. Using receiver operating characteristics, the highest area under the curve equal to 0.906 was obtained for miR-357 and indicates a very good diagnostic properties of this biomarker. We found expression level of mir-34a not related with PCa.
Conclusions:
Our results support previous findings on the possibility of discriminating prostate cancer patients from healthy controls by detecting miRNA (miR-141-3p, miR-21, and miR-375). Further insights into miRNA abundance and characteristics are necessary to validate the panel of miRNA as surrogate markers in diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Insights
This study identifies specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum as potential non-invasive biomarkers for prostate cancer (PCa) detection. Elevated levels of miR-106b, miR-141-3p, miR-21, and miR-375 show promise in distinguishing PCa patients from healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Biomarkers
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Oncology
Background:
- Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer mortality in men.
- Current detection methods, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, can lead to overtreatment.
- There is a need for non-invasive biomarkers for accurate PCa diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum as potential non-invasive biomarkers for prostate cancer.
- To compare miRNA levels in patients diagnosed with PCa against healthy individuals.
Main Methods:
- A preliminary study involving 20 PCa patients and 8 healthy controls.
- Quantification of five specific miRNAs (miR-106b, miR-141, miR-21, miR-34a, and miR-375) in serum RNA using RT-qPCR.
- Statistical analysis to correlate miRNA expression with clinicopathological data.
Main Results:
- Significant increases in the relative expression of miR-106b, miR-141-3p, miR-21, and miR-375 were observed in PCa patients compared to controls.
- miR-375 demonstrated excellent diagnostic potential with the highest area under the curve (0.906).
- miR-34a expression levels were not found to be related to PCa.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the potential of specific miRNAs (miR-141-3p, miR-21, and miR-375) to differentiate PCa patients from healthy individuals.
- Further research is needed to validate these miRNAs as reliable surrogate markers for PCa diagnosis.
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