Development of a Serum-Based MicroRNA Signature for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer: A Multicenter Cohort Study

Jing Huang ¹, Ge Gao ², Yang Ge ³

¹National Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical Engineering and Department of Pharmacology, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China.
²Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second & The Third Xiangya Hospitals, Central South University, Changsha, China.
³Department of Food Safety and Toxicology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁴Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
⁵School of Biomedical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China.
⁶The UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁷Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, No.44 Xiaoheyan Road, Dadong District, Shenyang, China.
⁸Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital,, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁹Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine , Department of General Surgery, Pancreaticobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
¹⁰Pancreatic and Gastric Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
¹¹State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, School of Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
¹²National Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China.
¹³National Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical Engineering and Department of Pharmacology, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China. gxiao@dlut.edu.cn.
¹⁴The UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. gxiao@dlut.edu.cn.
¹⁵Functional Genomics and Proteomics Laboratory, Osteoporosis Research Center, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. gxiao@dlut.edu.cn.

⁰National Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical Engineering and Department of Pharmacology, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China.

Digestive Diseases and Sciences +

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March 7, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

A novel panel of four serum microRNAs (miRNAs) shows promise for early pancreatic cancer detection. This biomarker panel outperforms existing markers, offering a potential noninvasive screening tool for improved patient outcomes.

Area Of Science

Biomarker discovery
Molecular diagnostics
Oncology

Background

Pancreatic cancer (PCa) has a poor prognosis due to diagnostic challenges.
Early detection is critical for improving patient survival rates.

Purpose Of The Study

To identify novel biomarkers for early pancreatic cancer detection.
To assess the clinical utility of candidate microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum.

Main Methods

Microarray profiling of formalin-fixed tissues identified candidate miRNAs.
Serum samples from 1273 participants were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Candidate miRNAs were validated in training and validation cohorts.

Main Results

A panel of four miRNAs demonstrated significant differential expression in PCa tissues.
The serum miRNA panel outperformed CA19-9, CA125, CEA, and CA242 in discriminating early PCa.
The panel achieved high diagnostic efficacy (AUC 0.971 and 0.924) with 90.2% specificity against other digestive tumors.

Conclusions

A four-serum miRNA panel exhibits strong discriminative ability for early-stage PCa.
This panel shows potential as a novel, noninvasive approach for early PCa screening.
Further development could significantly impact clinical management of pancreatic cancer.

Keywords:

Circulating microRNA Diagnosis Noninvasive biomarker Pancreatic cancer Serum