Serum lncRNA-UFC1 as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

Early diagnosis is important to improve the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC). Identifying potential biomarkers is essential for the monitoring and treatment of PC. The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) UFC1 has been identified as an oncogenic factor in many cancers. However, the expression of UFC1 and its potential role in diagnosis and prognosis of PC remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the role of serum UFC1 in diagnosis and prognosis. The results indicated that serum UFC1 expression was relatively higher in PC patients than that in healthy volunteers. ROC curve analysis revealed that the serum UFC1 levels could distinguish PC patients from healthy controls, with an AUC value of 0.810. In addition, the serum UFC1 expression level was associated with lymph nodes metastasis, distant metastasis, and clinical stage. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with high UFC1 expression exhibited shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with low UFC1 expression. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that clinical stage and UFC1 expression level were significant, independent prognostic factors in PC patients. Our data demonstrate that serum UFC1 might serve as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of PC.