title: Plasma miRNAs Effectively Distinguish Patients With Pancreatic Cancer From Controls: A Multicenter Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify plasma microRNA (miRNA) markers of pancreatic cancer (PC).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Accurate pretreatment diagnosis of PC remains challenging, whether plasma miRNAs could be used as biomarkers in PC remains unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this multiphase multicenter study, peripheral blood samples were obtained preoperatively in 3 phases: the discovery phase [7 patients with PC, 6 patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), and 5 healthy volunteers (N)], the preliminary validation phase (29 patients with PC, 16 patients with CP, and 31 N), and the large sample validation phase (156 patients with PC, 65 N, 57 patients with CP, 27 patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and 58 patients with other pancreatic tumors). The diagnostic values of the miRNAs were assessed and compared with cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The discovery phase demonstrated that 29 miRNAs were dysregulated in the patients with PC compared with the controls. In the preliminary validation phase, 13 miRNAs were shown to be dysregulated in the patients with PC and were selected for validation in a multicenter trial. MiR-486-5p exhibited diagnostic value in discriminating patients with PC from normal subjects or patients with CP, with area under the curve values of 0.861 and 0.707, respectively. MiR-938 exhibited diagnostic value in differentiating patients with PC from those with CP, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and patients with other pancreatic tumors, with area under the curve values of 0.693, 0.660, and 0.618, respectively. In addition, we demonstrated that the value of miR-486-5p in discriminating patients with PC from normal subjects or patients with CP was comparable with that of CA19-9 (P = 0.602 and P = 0.230).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identified several plasma miRNAs potentially suitable for distinguishing patients with PC from normal subjects or patients with other pancreatic tumors.
authors.affiliation: *Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China†Pancreatic Disease Institute, Department of General Surgery, Wuhan Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China‡Departments of Pancreatic Surgery, Zhong Shan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China§Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China¶Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China||Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Jianwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Chunyou
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wenhui
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Xubao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Taiping
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yupei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D035683:MicroRNAs