MicroRNA-375 in extracellular vesicles – novel marker for esophageal cancer diagnosis

Abstract

Background: MicroRNAs have been confirmed to function as diagnostic biomarkers for esophageal cancer (EC). This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic potential of miR-375 in the plasma or extracellular vesicles (EVs) of esophageal cancers (ECs). Methods: miRNAs with diagnostic potential were identified through public database searches and validated through clinical sample testing. The diagnostic value of miR-375 in plasma and EVs was evaluated via receiver operating characteristic analysis and area under the curve. In addition, expression and survival analyses of the top ten target genes of miR-375 were conducted using the cancer genome atlas database. Results: MiR-375 was identified as a potential biomarker for ECs by searching the gene expression omnibus database. Results of clinical sample measurements showed that miR-375 in plasma or EVs was significantly different between ECs and controls (P < .01), but did not differ by gender or age. receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that miR-375 in EVs could function as a diagnostic marker for ECs, with a higher area under the curve (0.852) than that in plasma. The expression and survival analysis of the top ten target genes for miR-375 showed that only EIF4G3 was significantly associated with survival (P < .05). Conclusion: This research shows that miR-375, particularly in EVs, could serve as a biomarker for the diagnosis of ECs.