title: Prognostic significance of serum microRNA-221 expression in human epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility of using serum microRNA (miR)-221 as a noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure miR-221 expression in serum samples from patients with EOC and healthy age-matched controls. Correlations between serum miR-221 levels and clinicopathological factors and prognosis were explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum miR-221 was upregulated in patients with EOC (n = 96) compared with healthy controls (n = 35). The level of serum miR-221 expression was significantly associated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, and tumour grade. Furthermore, multivariate analysis of overall survival showed that high serum miR-221 expression was an independent unfavourable prognostic factor in EOC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that serum miR-221 may have a role as a novel diagnostic and prognostic marker, and may have potential as a therapeutic target in EOC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China. manuhongfz@163.com
authors.forename: Fanzhen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yuyang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yongping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; C525709:MIR221, human