Abstract
The dysregulation of miR-137 plays vital roles in the oncogenesis and progression of various types of cancer, but its role in prognosis of gastric cancer patients remains unknown. This study was designed to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of miR-137 in gastric cancer patients after radical gastrectomy. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate the expression of miR-137 in human gastric cancer cell lines and tissues in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Results were assessed for association with clinical factors and overall survival by using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Prognostic values of miR-137 expression and clinical outcomes were evaluated by Cox regression analysis. The results exhibited that the expression level of miR-137 was decreased in human gastric cancer cell lines and tissues, and down-regulated expression of miR-137 was associated with tumor cell differentiation, N stage, and TNM stage. Decreased miR-137 expression in gastric cancer tissues was positively correlated with poor overall survival of gastric cancer patients. Further multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that miR-137 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for gastric cancer except for TNM stage. Applying the prognostic value of miR-137 expression to TNM stage III group showed a better risk stratification for overall survival. In conclusion, the results reinforced the critical role for the down-regulated miR-137 expression in gastric cancer and suggested that miR-137 expression could be a prognostic indicator for this disease. In addition, these patients with TNM stage III gastric cancer and low miR-137 expression might need more aggressive postoperative treatment and closer follow-up.
Highlights
China is one of the countries with the highest incidence of gastric cancer and accounts for over 40% of all new cases worldwide [1,2]
Because there is heterogeneity at the molecular level of gastric cancer, it is insufficient to only rely on TNM stage to predict the prognosis of gastric cancer [6]
Specimens were reassessed by two pathologists independently, and the stage of gastric cancer is classified according to the TNM stage system of the UICC/AJCC [5]
Summary
China is one of the countries with the highest incidence of gastric cancer and accounts for over 40% of all new cases worldwide [1,2]. The prognosis of advanced gastric cancer in China tends to be dismal [3,4]. Because there is heterogeneity at the molecular level of gastric cancer, it is insufficient to only rely on TNM stage to predict the prognosis of gastric cancer [6]. The identification of molecular markers that are predictive of gastric cancer aggressiveness and prognosis of patient as supplementary to TNM stage has the potential to improve the ability to treat patients and could provide clinically relevant insights of importance into disease management. Selecting the patients who might benefit greatest from precision treatment is thought of as the best method to lower the rates of mortality of gastric cancer except for surgery
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