Decreased expression of miR-23b is associated with poor survival of endometrial cancer patients

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common types of cancer of the female reproductive system. EC is classified into two types (EC1 and EC2). MiRNAs are single-stranded RNA molecules that regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally. They have aberrant expression profiles in cancer, including EC. This study aimed to assess the level of expression of a panel of 16 miRNAs in both types of EC and healthy endometrium (HE). A total of 45 patients were enrolled into the study, 18 patients diagnosed with EC1, 12 diagnosed with EC2, and 15 HE controls. Tumor tissues or healthy endometrial tissues were dissected from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) using laser capture microdissection (LCM). RNA was isolated from collected material and the expression of selected miRNAs was determined using the real-time qPCR. We found that miR-23b, miR-125b-5p, miR-199a-3p, miR-221-3p, and miR-451a were downregulated in EC in comparison to HE. Moreover, the expression of miR-34a-5p and miR-146-5p was higher in EC1 compared to EC2. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database confirmed decreased levels of miR-23b, miR-125b-5p, and miR-199a-3p in EC. Decreased miR-23b expression was associated with worse survival of EC patients.