Insights into the potential use of microRNAs as a novel class of biomarkers in esophageal cancer

Abstract

MicroRNAs (abbreviated miRNAs) have been demonstrated to be involved in tumorigenesis and cancer development and proposed as promising biomarkers in cancer diagnosis. Numerous studies have observed the aberrant expression of miRNAs in esophageal cancer. However, there are some discrepant results. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to identify the overall accuracy of miRNAs in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed and other databases using combinations of key words. The summary receiver operator characteristic curves were plotted to assess the overall diagnostic performance of miRNAs. Chi-squared and I(2) tests were used to assess the heterogeneity between studies. Additionally, we conducted subgroup and sensitivity analyses to analyze the potential sources of heterogeneity. In total, 33 studies from 12 articles were available in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio (PLR, NLR) diagnostic odds ratio, and area under the curve were 0.80, 0.80, 4.0, 0.25, 16, and 0.87, respectively. Subgroup analyses based on the sample types (saliva-, serum- and plasma-based) showed no differences in the diagnostic accuracy of each subgroup. An independent meta-analysis of eight articles was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of miRNAs in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, with a pooled sensitivity of 0.77, specificity of 0.83, PLR of 4.4, NLR of 0.27, diagnostic odds ratio of 16, and area under the curve of 0.87. In conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrates the feasibility of using miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers to discriminate esophageal cancer from healthy controls. However, further high-quality studies on more clearly defined esophageal cancer patient are needed to confirm our conclusion.

A six-microRNA signature in plasma was identified as a potential biomarker in diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

“…Concerning ESCC, several studies have indicated the potential value of circulating miRNAs in diagnosis of the disease [20]. But most studies only focused on some specific miRNAs, few studies explored circulating miRNA profiles using the comprehensive array-based approach in ESCC.…”

“…These findings have opened up a new and promising filed in the screening and monitoring of cancer patients. Since the first study on the levels of serum miRNAs in ESCC patients was reported in 2010 by Zhang et al [19], several studies have investigated the differential expression of circulating miRNAs and explored the potential application of the biomarkers in ESCC [20]. However, the results were not consistent between the studies partly due to different research methods and tested populations.…”

Could MicroRNA polymorphisms influence warfarin dosing? A pharmacogenetics study on mir133 genes

“…MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are a recently discovered class of small (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) nucleotides) endogenous non-coding oligonucleotides that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level [1][2][3]. They play a crucial role in regulation of physiological and pathological processes and some miRNAs have been described as associated with distinct clinical characteristics, such as diagnosis or disease activity [4][5][6][7][8][9]. For these reasons, miRNAs are attractive as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, disease activity and severity of various diseases.…”

Identification of molecular targets for esophageal carcinoma diagnosis using miRNA-seq and RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas: a study of 187 cases

“…A meta-analysis [54] including 27 studies reported that circulating miRNAs with a combined AUC of 0.87 could be used as a biomarkers for early diagnosis of ESCC. MiRNAs presented in blood or other tissue fluid in a stable form [55]. Therefore, circulating miRNAs can be candidates for noninvasive diagnosis of ESCA.…”