Saliva Supernatant miR-21: a Novel Potential Biomarker for Esophageal Cancer Detection

Abstract

<br/><b>Objective</b>: To identify whether saliva supernatant miR-21 can serve as a novel potential biomarker in patientswith esophageal cancer (EC). <br/><b>Methods</b>: 32 patients with EC and 16 healthy controls were recruited in this study.Total RNA was extracted from saliva supernatant samples for measurement of miR-21 levels using RT-qPCR andrelationships between miR-21 levels and clinical characteristics of EC patients were analyzed. <br/><b>Results</b>: miR-21was significantly higher in the EC than control groups. The sensitivity and specificity were 84.4% and 62.5%respectively. Supernatant miR-21 levels showed no significant correlation with cancer stage, differentiation andnodal metastasis. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: Saliva supernatant miR-21 may be a novel biomarker for EC.