A microRNA meta-signature for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Evaluation of: Ma MZ, Kong X, Weng MZ et al. Candidate microRNA biomarkers of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: meta-analysis, experimental validation and clinical significance. J. Exp. Clin. Cancer Res. 32(1), 71 (2013).

Due to its aggressive and late presentation, there is an urgent need for novel and reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognostication of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). MiRNAs have been extensively profiled in PDAC tissues, biopsies, blood samples and other biofluids and their expression levels compared to normal and chronic pancreatitis (CP) specimens in order to identify the most relevant candidates. Consolidation of these activities has not been attempted until now. The evaluated meta-review by Ma et al. helps to define the use of miRNAs as biomarkers for detecting this tumor-type and predicting survival outcomes in PDAC. Based on frequency and consistency between microarray studies, they identified a miRNA meta-signature for recognising PDAC: upregulation of miR-21, 23a, 31, 100, 143, 155, and 221; with downregulation of miR-148a, 217 and 375. Furthermore, they validated high miR-21, high miR-31 and low miR-375 tumoural expression as independently prognostic for poor overall-survival (OS; n = 70).

Keywords::

• biomarkers
• diagnostic
• meta-signature
• miRNA
• pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
• prognostic

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• This is the first study to consolidate miRNA expression profiling efforts in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tissues.

• A 10-miRNA meta-signature for PDAC diagnosis has been defined (upregulated: miR-21, -23a, -31, -100, -143, -155 and -221; downregulated: miR-148a, -217 and -375).

• MiR-21, -31 and -375 are each independently prognostic in PDAC, although their combination was not assessed.