Serum Exosomal miR-1290 is a Potential Biomarker for Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Abstract

PurposeLung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) representing the most common subtype. Recently, exosome-based biomarkers have provided new diagnostic approaches for malignancies. We aimed to identify specific exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) as noninvasive biomarkers for LUAD.Patients and MethodsA total of 110 participants were enrolled and randomly divided into two sets: the discovery set (n=20) and the validation set (n=90). Exosomes were isolated from serum, and miRNAs were subsequently extracted. Candidate miRNAs (miR-21, miR-221-3p, miR-222-3p, miR-223, miR-638 and miR-1290) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in the discovery set. The upregulated miR-1290 was then selected for further analysis in the validation set along with three tumor markers (CEA, CYFRA21-1 and NSE). The diagnostic and prognostic value of exosomal miR-1290 were estimated through receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) and survival analysis.ResultsSerum exosomal miR-1290 was significantly upregulated in LUAD patients compared to healthy controls (P<0.001) and decreased after resection (P=0.0029). Its expression level was associated with tumor stage, tumor size, lymph node and distant metastasis (all P <0.05). Exosomal miR-1290 had a higher diagnostic efficacy than CEA, CYFRA21-1 and NSE, with a sensitivity of 80.0% and specificity of 96.7% (AUC: 0.937, 95% CI: 0.890–0.985; P<0.001). Moreover, LUAD patients with a high level of exosomal miR-1290 had significantly poorer progression-free survival (PFS) than those with a low level of exosomal miR-1290 (mean PFS: 14 months vs 37 months, P<0.001). Cox proportional hazards model analysis demonstrated that exosomal miR-1290 could be an independent risk factor for the prognosis of LUAD (HR=7.80, P=0.017).ConclusionSerum exosomal miR-1290 could be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for LUAD.