title: Expression of serum miR-221 in human hepatocellular carcinoma and its prognostic significance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the serum miR-221 expression correlates with clinicopathologic features and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four miRNAs (miR-221, miR-222, miR-21 and miR-224) related to HCC were selected in the present study. Serum miRNA expression was investigated in 46 HCC patients and 20 healthy normal controls by using real-time PCR technique, and then correlations between miR-221 expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of HCC patients were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The four miRNAs were found to be differentially overexpressed in HCC serum samples, and high level of miR-221 expression was correlated with tumor size (P<0.001), cirrhosis (P=0.003) and tumor stage (P=0.016). In addition, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the overall survival rate of the high miR-221 expression group (27.6%) was significantly lower than that of the low miR-221 expression group (62.3%, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum miR-221, upregulated in HCC, can provide predictive significance for prognosis of HCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Medicine Center, Yinzhou People's Hospital, Ningbo 315040, China. lijipeng1109@163.com
authors.forename: Jipeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yiping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wanjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs; C525709:MIR221, human