The role of circulating MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) in epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract

Background: The development of a novel biological marker for diagnosis and prognosis prediction of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains urgent. Current literature shows that microRNA-21 (miRNA-21/miR-21) are involved in the growth, metastasis, and apoptosis of cancer cells. This study aims to determine the difference in miR-21 expression between stages, histopathology type, and residual tumor after surgery in EOC patients. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 40 EOC patients. Blood samples were taken prior to surgery, and when the pathological anatomy result confirmed the presence of EOC, the RNA was then isolated. Based on the RNA, the cDNA was synthesized and run through qPCR. All data were analyzed using the GenEx analyzing software. Results: The expression of miR-21 in the advanced stage was 1.36 up-fold compared to the early stage (p=0.52). The expression of miR-21 in type II EOC was 1.33 up-fold compared to type I EOC (p=0.56). The expression of miR-21 in residual tumor >1cm after surgery was 1.30 up-fold compare to residual tumor after surgery < 1cm (p=0.59) Conclusion: There was no significant increase in the expression of circulating miR-21 between stages, histopathology type, and residual tumor after surgery in EOC patients in this study. Circulating miR-21 may be a promising biomarker for EOC. Nevertheless, further studies with larger sample sizes are still needed to address the discrepancy and clarify the prognostic value of circulating miR-21.