Serum microRNA‑21 levels are related to tumor size in gastric cancer patients but cannot predict prognosis

Song,Jianning; Bai,Zhigang; Zhang,Jun; Meng,Hua; Cai,Jun; Deng,Wei; Bi,Jintao; Ma,Xuemei; Zhang,Zhongtao

doi:10.3892/ol.2013.1626

Serum microRNA‑21 levels are related to tumor size in gastric cancer patients but cannot predict prognosis

Authors:
- Jianning Song
- Zhigang Bai
- Jun Zhang
- Hua Meng
- Jun Cai
- Wei Deng
- Jintao Bi
- Xuemei Ma
- Zhongtao Zhang
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Affiliations: Department of General Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Xuanwu, Beijing 100050, P.R. China
Published online on: October 15, 2013 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2013.1626
Pages: 1733-1737

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Abstract

In patients with gastric cancer (GC), circulating microRNA‑21 (miR‑21) is overexpressed and may serve as a diagnostic biomarker. In the present study, it was hypothesized that the serum miR‑21 expression levels were associated with prognosis in the patients with GC. The expression levels of serum miR‑21 were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays in 103 GC patients. Survival and Cox proportional‑hazards regression analyses were performed to determine the correlation between serum miR‑21 expression levels and prognosis in the patients. The correlation between the serum miR‑21 levels and the clinicopathological factors of the patients was also analyzed. Survival curves were not significantly different between the groups exhibiting high and low levels of serum miR‑21 expression. High levels of miR‑21 in the serum were associated with an increased tumor size and an advanced pT stage. These findings suggest that serum miR‑21 could be exploited as a practical biomarker for monitoring tumor burden in patients with GC.

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