title: MicroRNA-21 is a new marker of circulating tumor cells in gastric cancer patients.
abstract: The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has received great attention. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) plays crucial roles in carcinogenesis and is considered as one of the most studied oncomiRNAs. We determined if miR-21 could be used a marker for the detection of CTCs in gastric cancer patients. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 53 preoperative patients with gastric cancer and 20 healthy volunteers. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the level of miR-21. Receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC) were constructed. Patients with gastric cancer display a significantly higher level of miR-21 in peripheral blood than those from controls. The miR-21 level was associated with the tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, tumor size and tissue categories. The area under ROC curve was up to 0.853 ± 0.086. This study highlights the potential of the detection of miR-21 in peripheral blood as a novel tool for monitoring CTCs in gastric cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Weiliang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xianbin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yanru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Junming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D019540:Area Under Curve; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D020871:RNA Stability; D012372:ROC Curve; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C524940:MIRN21 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs