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Downregulation of miR-221, miR-143, and miR-22 in Meningioma: Diagnostic Performance in a Single-Center Case-Control
Aim:
To determine case-control differences in tissue miRNA expression and to quantify their ability to distinguish meningioma from nontumor dura.
Material And Methods:
Tissue samples from 45 intracranial meningioma cases (WHO grade I, n = 22; grade II, n = 23) and 26 dura controls were analyzed. miRNA expression levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), normalized to U6, and relative expression levels were calculated using the 2-ΔΔCt method. Group and grade comparisons were performed using appropriate parametric or nonparametric tests. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) values, with optimal cut-off points determined by the Youden index. Sensitivity and specificity were reported.
Results:
Compared with controls, meningioma tissues showed significant downregulation of miR-221, miR-143, and miR-22 (all p < 0.001), whereas miR-145 showed borderline significance (p = 0.052). Diagnostic discrimination was highest for miR-221 (AUC, 0.912; cut-off, ≤0.19; sensitivity, 91.11%; specificity, 88.46%), followed by miR-143 (AUC, 0.810; cut-off, ≤0.24; sensitivity, 71.11%; specificity, 92.31%) and miR-22 (AUC, 0.771; cut-off, ≤0.36; sensitivity, 82.22%; specificity, 65.38%). No significant differences in expression were observed between grade I and grade II tumors for any miRNA.
Conclusion:
Tissue miR-221, miR-143, and miR-22 are consistently downregulated in intracranial meningioma and demonstrate clinically meaningful diagnostic performance, with miR-221 showing the highest discriminatory accuracy. These findings support the potential integration of miRNA assays into tissue-based diagnostics and warrant multicenter validation to refine cut-off values and evaluate prognostic utility.
Insights
MicroRNA (miRNA) assays show promise for meningioma diagnosis. Specific miRNAs, including miR-221, are downregulated in meningioma tissue, offering high accuracy in distinguishing tumors from normal dura. Further validation is recommended.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors.
- Accurate differentiation from non-tumorous dura is crucial for diagnosis and treatment planning.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and are implicated in various cancers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in tissue miRNA expression between meningioma and control dura.
- To evaluate the diagnostic potential of specific miRNAs in distinguishing meningioma from normal dura.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to measure miRNA expression in 45 meningioma tissues and 26 control dura samples.
- miRNA levels were normalized to U6, and relative expression was calculated.
- Diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) analysis.
Main Results:
- Meningioma tissues exhibited significant downregulation of miR-221, miR-143, and miR-22 compared to controls (p < 0.001).
- miR-221 demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.912), with 91.11% sensitivity and 88.46% specificity.
- miR-143 and miR-22 also showed significant discriminatory power, though lower than miR-221.
Conclusions:
- Tissue miR-221, miR-143, and miR-22 are consistently downregulated in intracranial meningioma.
- These miRNAs possess clinically relevant diagnostic performance, with miR-221 being a highly accurate biomarker.
- The findings support the potential utility of miRNA expression profiling in meningioma diagnostics, warranting further validation.
