Exosome-mediated miR-25/miR-203 as a potential biomarker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: improving early diagnosis and revealing malignancy.

BACKGROUND

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women worldwide. The poor prognosis and rapid increase in ESCC incidence highlight the need to promote early detection and prediction. Identifying key molecular targets involved in ESCC monitoring and progression is critical for ESCC patients.

METHODS

This study examined miR-25/miR-203 as a biomarker for ESCC patients. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect miR-25/miR-203 expression levels in tissues and serum exosomes, and MiR-25/miR-203 upregulation was confirmed in ESCC.

RESULTS

We found that the miR-25/miR-203 ratio in cancer tissues from 36 ESCC patients was significantly enhanced compared with that in adjacent tissues. Moreover, the serum level of miR-25/miR-203 in 57 ESCC patients was higher than that in 31 healthy volunteers. Intriguingly, in 38 ESCC patients, the level of miR-25/miR-203 decreased significantly after surgery. Using ROC curve statistical analysis, we found that each group of miR-25/miR-203 had obvious sensitivity and high specificity. The miR-25/miR-203 relationship with the clinicopathological features of ESCC patients was also analyzed. MiR-25/miR-203 was significantly associated with the ESCC TNM-stage and lymph node metastasis, which predicts the prognosis of ESCC and reflects tumor progression.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the feasibility of using exosome-mediated miR-25/miR-203 as a vital noninvasive biomarker for the detection and treatment monitoring of ESCC.