A three-miRNA panel in serum: Serving as a novel diagnostic method for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BackgroundNasopharyngeal carcinoma has unique epidemiological characteristics. Screening for this currently lacks a highly efficient, non-invasive, and inexpensive method. Serum microRNA (miRNA), which is stable and commonly present, has the potential to serve as a novel marker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis.ObjectivesThis study aims to find a highly efficient, non-invasive, and inexpensive biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis.MethodsThis study, involving 52 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 56 healthy controls, was conducted in two phases to identify miRNAs in the serum suitable for nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was then used to identify a miRNA panel with high diagnostic efficiency. Additionally, we used bioinformatic analysis to explore the potential biological functions of the crucial miRNAs.ResultsA three-miRNA panel (miR-148b-3p, miR-10b-5p, and miR-18a-5p) has a high diagnostic value for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (area under the curve = 0.872; 95% confidence interval: 0.793-0.928; sensitivity = 78.57%; specificity = 86.54%). Through bioinformatics analysis we found that CC2D2B, PCDH9, and FOXP1 may be potential target genes of these three miRNAs.ConclusionThis three-miRNA panel (miR-148b-3p, miR-10b-5p, and miR-18a-5p) represents a highly efficient, non-invasive, and inexpensive biomarker for diagnosing nasopharyngeal carcinoma.