Low-level expression of microRNA-375 predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
MicroRNAs are predicted to play fundamental roles in the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MiR-375 is frequently downregulated in HCC and acts as a tumor suppressor by targeting multiple oncogenes. The objective of this study was to evaluate miR-375 expression and its relevance to the prognosis of HCC. MiR-375 expression was measured in cancerous tissues using qRT-PCR and dichotomized based on a median cutoff. The association between miR-375 expression and clinicopathological parameters and prognosis was subsequently determined. Expression levels of miR-375 were detected in a cohort of 38 HCC patients who underwent curative surgery. No significant correlations were observed between miR-375 expression and clinicopathological parameters, such as gender, age, performance status, preoperative serum AFP level, histological grade, HBV-DNA copy number, ascites, cirrhosis, tumor size, number of tumor nodules, and macrovascular invasion. However, miR-375 expression differs across CLIP scores significantly (p < 0.05). A trend toward poorer disease-free survival (DFS) was observed in patients with lower miR-375 expression compared to those with higher miR-375 expression (p = 0.307). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that low miR-375 expression was an independent prognostic predictor for progression (p = 0.032, risk ratio 3.273). Subgroup analysis revealed that low expression of miR-375 was significantly associated with adverse DFS in patients with poorly differentiated histology, higher serum AFP level (≥400 ng/ml), and advanced tumor stage (CLIP score 1∼3) (p = 0.017, 0.009, and 0.024, respectively). Our study demonstrates that miR-375 expression is significantly correlated with DFS and may be a potential prognostic biomarker of disease progression in HCC.
Department of Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China. zhounamorina@hotmail.com.
Na
N
Zhou
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Jinhua
J
Wu
Department of Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Xiang
X
Wang
Department of Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Zhao
Z
Sun
Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Qin
Q
Han
Department of Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Lin
L
Zhao
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models
C540933:MIRN375 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs
Hepatocellular carcinoma; Invasion; MicroRNA-375