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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Biomarkers, Tumor, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Disease-Free Survival, Esophageal Neoplasms, Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Female, Humans, Male, MicroRNAs, Middle Aged, Prognosis.
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Does serum microRNA-15a level act as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma? Context: Clinical significance of microRNA (miR)-15a in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. To evaluate the expression level of miR-15a and to determine its potential for diagnosis and prognosis in ESCC. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to examine the expression levels of miR-15a in ESCC tissues and patients' sera. The diagnostic and prognostic implications of serum miR-15a level in human ESCC were further evaluated. Expression levels of miR-15a in ESCC tissues and patients' sera were significantly decreased (both P< 0.001). Additionally, serum miR-15a had an optimal diagnostic cut-off point (2.29) for ESCC with sensitivity of 86.36% and specificity of 100.00%. Moreover, low serum miR-15a level more frequently occurred in ESCC patients with advanced tumor-node-metastasis, T and N stages (all P= 0.01) and poor tumor differentiation (P= 0.03). The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that low miR-15a expression was significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of ESCC patients (both P< 0.001). Further multivariate analysis identified miR-15a as an independent prognostic factor for both OS and DFS (both P= 0.01).
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Decreased expression of miR-15a may play a crucial role in ESCC development and progression. Serum miR-15a level could be used as a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker in clinics. Final Decision: yes