title: MicroRNA-421 is a new potential diagnosis biomarker with higher sensitivity and specificity than carcinoembryonic antigen and cancer antigen 125 in gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The sensitivity and specificity of blood microRNA-421 (miR-421) as a gastric cancer (GC) biomarker has not been determined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the diagnostic value of blood miR-421 as GC biomarker.
  
  
  METHODS
  miR-421 in serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 90 GC patients and 90 controls was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The correlation of miR-421 to GC clinicopathological features as well as the diagnostic value of miR-421 comparing to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  miR-421 increased significantly in GC patients than in controls. miR-421 in either serum or PBMCs had higher sensitivity and specificity than CEA and CA-125 in GC diagnosis. The GC positive prediction rates of miR-421 were also significantly higher than those of CEA and CA-125.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  miR-421 in serum or PBMCs may be a new potential diagnostic biomarker for GC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First People's Hospital of Kunshan, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University , Kunshan , China .
authors.forename: Jianhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Guangxin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yongliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Zeyou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wangwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood*; D012372:ROC Curve; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; C547665:MIRN421 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Cancer antigen 125; MicroRNA-421; carcinoembryonic antigen; gastric cancer; tumor marker