title: Combination of miR-125b and miR-27a enhances sensitivity and specificity of AFP-based diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Non-invasive biomarkers of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) could offer immense benefits. Currently available tumor markers for HCC are of not much clinical relevance. In this study, we investigated the potential for using a panel of serum microRNAs (miRNAs) as novel tumor markers in conjunction with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for diagnosis of HCC. Serum expression of four miRNAs was assessed in 150 subjects (90 cases of HCC and 60 cases without cancer) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the potential use of miRNAs for detection of HCC. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. A panel of serum miRNAs (miR-125b, miR-223, miR-27a, and miR-26a) used in conjunction with AFP helped differentiate HCC patients from those in the non-cancer group after adjusting for age and gender, with the area under the curve of 0.870. In addition, the use of miR-125b/miR-27a panel differentiated HBV-related early-stage HCC with a high sensitivity (80.0 %) and specificity (87.2 %) in AFP-negative (-) subjects. A combination of serum miR-125b, miR-223, miR-27a, and miR-26a as a second-line tests could help detect HCC in AFP (-) subjects. The panel of miR-125b/miR-27a/AFP had a higher sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of early-stage HCC as compared to that of a single marker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, National"863" Plan Clinical Research Laboratory, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Duo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Cell Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Cell Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Cell Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Cell Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Cell Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China. guohua@tjmuch.com.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D047368:Tumor Burden; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C531888:MIRN125 microRNA, human; C531388:MIRN27 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins
keywords: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP); Diagnosis; Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); miR-125b; miR-27a