Circular RNA circ-MTO1 serves as a novel potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for gallbladder cancer.

Abstract

Primary gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is one of the most common biliary malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract. In this work, we examined the roles of circular-mitochondrial translation optimization 1 (circ-MTO1) in GBC tissues and patient plasma. Circ-MTO1 expression in GBC tissues and patient plasma was evaluated by quantitative Real Time-PCR (qRT-PCR). The relationships between circ-MTO1 expression and the pathological characteristics of GBC were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was applied to calculate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in GBC patients with different circ-MTO1 expression. The univariate COX regression curve analysis method was employed to analyze the potential relationships between high circ-MTO1 expression and OS and PFS. At last, we assessed the diagnostic value of the circ-MTO1 level in GBC patient plasma. Circ-MTO1 expression was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues and plasma in GBC patients. In addition, circ-MTO1 expression was associated with clinical-pathological characteristics in GBC. High circ-MTO1 expression served as an independent prognostic factor for poor OS and PFS in GBC patients. Moreover, upregulated plasma circ-MTO1 level was significantly associated with tumor development. Circ-MTO1 is a potential early diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for patients with gallbladder cancer. Thus, our present work might provide a new understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of GBC.