Estimation of Serum MicroRNA 21 as a Tumour Marker in Carcinoma Oesophagus

Worldwide, carcinoma of the oesophagus is the sixth leading reason for deaths due to malignancy. MicroRNAs (MiRs) are a cluster of small non-coding RNAs that have potent stability in stored RNA samples. This strengthens their potential as biomarkers. This study aimed to isolate MiR 21 from serum samples of carcinoma oesophagus patients and healthy subjects for determining its strength of association in various stages of the carcinoma oesophagus. This is a case-control study with 1:1 matched cases and controls. We included 40 patients of carcinoma oesophagus and 40 healthy individuals. Serum separated from venous blood samples of cases and controls was stored at - 80 °C. Total RNA was extracted, and the real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the serum MiR 21. On statistical comparison, we found a marked increase in MiR 21 in cases of carcinoma oesophagus when compared with the controls (p < 0.0001). This study also showed a steady rise in the MiR 21 levels with the disease severity (p < 0.0001). Based on the result of this study, we conclude that MiR 21 levels can be used as a novel marker for assessing disease severity in carcinoma oesophagus.