Usefulness of microRNA detection in the diagnostics of endometrial cancer.

INTRODUCTION MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression and contribute to the development of cancer. MiRNAs have been shown to be stable in tissue samples. They may be promising diagnostic biomarkers for endometrial cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective cohort study of women diagnosed with endometrial cancer between January 2017 and December 2017 was performed at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples were obtained from patients with endometrial cancer and healthy female subjects. MiRNA was isolated and quatitative real-time PCR was used to detect expression levels of miRNAs. RESULTS A total of 76 women were included; 36 endometrial cancer patients, 40 healthy controls. A distinct panel of miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-205 and miR-182 showed AUC of 0.958, sensitivity 92%, specificity 89%, positive predictive value of 89% (95% confidence interval (CI) 82% - 94%) and negative predictive value of 91% (95% CI 85 - 96%) in diagnosing endometrial cancer. High miR-182 expression levels were significantly related to high-grade endometrioid tumours compared to low-grade. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy of miRNA for detecting endometrial cancer. In addition, miRNA contributed to improved distinguishing between high-grade and low-grade endometrioid tumours.