El-Hanafy Aya A, Ammar Omar A, El-Hanafy Doaa A, Refat Sherine, Sameer Amr, Bahy Osama, Hammad Maha O
Department of Medical Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Department of Basic Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, New Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
World J Surg Oncol. 2025 Jun 4;23(1):218. doi: 10.1186/s12957-025-03863-6.
Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine cancer worldwide. Certain histological subtypes of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) exhibit aggressive behavior, with poor clinical outcomes. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of various biological processes, making them promising candidates for cancer biomarkers.
This study aimed to investigate the roles of lncRNAs, specifically prostate cancer-associated transcript 1 (PCAT-1) and Fetal-lethal non-coding developmental regulatory RNA (FENDRR), in the pathogenesis of thyroid carcinoma. Additionally, we evaluated their potential as diagnostic and prognostic markers in PTC.
Forty fresh thyroid cancer samples and 36 control goiter tissue samples were analyzed for gene expression levels of PCAT-1 and FENDRR via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Associations with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy, and the Kaplan-Meier technique was used to analyze survival. A Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to assess the effects of several risk variables on survival.
Compared with controls, PTC patients predented significantly increased PCAT-1 expression and decreased FENDRR expression, with high diagnostic accuracy according to ROC curve analysis. Patients with lower FENDRR expression had shorter recurrence-free survival, according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. Low FENDRR gene expression, a tumor size greater than 2 cm, invasion into the capsule, and other lobe malignancies remained significant independent prognostic factors for PTC recurrence according to Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.
This study is the first to investigate the expression patterns of PCAT-1 and FENDRR in thyroid cancer. These results indicate that both lncRNAs could be used as diagnostic biomarkers to differentiate PTC from benign thyroid tumors. Furthermore, decreased expression of FENDRR might be used as an independent prognostic factor for predicting PTC recurrence.
甲状腺癌是全球最常见的内分泌癌。某些乳头状甲状腺癌（PTC）的组织学亚型表现出侵袭性，临床预后较差。长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）已成为各种生物学过程的关键调节因子，使其有望成为癌症生物标志物。
本研究旨在探讨lncRNAs，特别是前列腺癌相关转录本1（PCAT-1）和胎儿致死性非编码发育调节RNA（FENDRR）在甲状腺癌发病机制中的作用。此外，我们评估了它们作为PTC诊断和预后标志物的潜力。
通过定量实时聚合酶链反应（PCR）分析40例新鲜甲状腺癌样本和36例对照甲状腺肿组织样本中PCAT-1和FENDRR的基因表达水平，并分析其与临床病理特征的相关性。采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线评估诊断准确性，采用Kaplan-Meier技术分析生存率。采用Cox比例风险回归模型评估多个风险变量对生存的影响。
与对照组相比，PTC患者的PCAT-1表达显著增加，FENDRR表达降低，根据ROC曲线分析具有较高的诊断准确性。根据Kaplan-Meier分析，FENDRR表达较低的患者无复发生存期较短。根据Cox比例风险回归分析，FENDRR基因低表达、肿瘤大小大于2 cm、侵犯包膜和其他叶恶性肿瘤仍然是PTC复发的重要独立预后因素。
本研究首次探讨了PCAT-1和FENDRR在甲状腺癌中的表达模式。这些结果表明，这两种lncRNAs都可作为诊断生物标志物，用于区分PTC与良性甲状腺肿瘤。此外，FENDRR表达降低可能作为预测PTC复发的独立预后因素。
