EXPRESSION AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MIR-338 AND MIR-20A IN SERUM OF PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC CANCER

Chuanyu Cao¹, Na Li², Xufa Wei^{1, *} 

¹Department of General Surgery, Mengyin county hospital, Mengyin276299, Shandong Province, China - ²Department of Clinical Laboratory, Mengyin county hospital, Mengyin276299, Shandong Province, China

Objective: To inquire into the expression and clinical significance of serum miR-338 and miR-20a in patients with gastric cancer (GC). 

Methods: One hundred and five GC patients treated in our hospital were selected as the study participants, and concurrently, 100 healthy controls were selected as the normal group. Serum miR-338 and miR-20a levels were detected in the two groups. 

Results: MiR-338-5p was observably downregulated while miR-20a was remarkably upregulated in GC patients as compared to normal controls (both P<0.001). MiR-338 and miR-20a were of diagnostic value in GC as identified by ROC curve. In serum of patients with GC, miR-338-5p was linked with degree of differentiation, tumor diameter, lymph node metastasis (LNM) and TNM stage, and apart from these factors, miR-20a was also linked with depth of infiltration (P<0.05). Tumor markers CEA and CA199 were up-regulated in GC patients, and were in negative relationship with miR-338-5p, while were positively related to miR-20a. According to patient survival situation, they were assigned into death and survival groups. In comparison with the survival group, miR-338-5p presented lower level while miR-20a showed higher level in the dead group (P<0.001). MiR-338-5p and miR-20a were capable of predicting the prognosis and death of patients, and low miR-338-5p expression and high miR-20a expression indicated unfavorable prognosis and survival in GC patients (P<0.05). 

Conclusion: Both miR-338-5p and miR-20a are abnormally expressed in serum of GC patients. Downregulated miR-338-5p and upregulated miR-20a indicate poor prognosis and survival in GC patients, which can be used as serum diagnostic and prognostic markers for GC patients.