Upregulated lncRNA AK058003 in Tumor-Educated Platelets and Plasma as Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers for Esophageal Cancer.

PURPOSE: Esophageal cancer (EC) ranks thirteenth in incidence and seventh in cancer-related mortality worldwide in 2024, with an estimated 494,000 new cases and 442,000 deaths, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains the predominant histological subtype in China. Endoscopic biopsy and serum markers (SCCA, CA 19-9, CEA) have limited sensitivity or are invasive. This study evaluated the diagnostic potential of platelet and plasma lncRNA AK058003 in EC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Platelet and plasma lncRNA AK058003 expression was quantified by quantitative real-time PCR in 64 EC patients and 64 healthy controls. Diagnostic performance was assessed by ROC curve analysis. Correlations with clinicopathological parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: Tumor-educated platelet (TEP) and plasma lncRNA AK058003 were significantly upregulated in EC patients (P = 0.0042 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Plasma lncRNA AK058003 showed an AUC of 0.83 (sensitivity 82.8%, specificity 76.6%), whereas TEP lncRNA AK058003 yielded an AUC of 0.65 (sensitivity 64.1%, specificity 60.9%). TEP lncRNA AK058003 expression was significantly higher in T3-T4 than T1-T2 stages (P = 0.0025) and correlated with tumor size (P = 0.0017). CONCLUSION: Both TEP and plasma lncRNA AK058003 were significantly upregulated in EC. Plasma lncRNA AK058003 demonstrated promising diagnostic performance (AUC 0.83, sensitivity 82.8%, specificity 76.6%), while TEP lncRNA AK058003 overexpression correlated with tumor size, supporting their potential as non-invasive liquid-biopsy biomarkers for EC diagnosis.