Kittiya Supradit, Teva Phanaksri, Sattrachai Prasopdee, Sithichoke Tangphatsornruang, Duangjai Sangsrakru, Kanokpan Wongprasert, Montinee Pholhelm, Kritiya Butthongkomvong, Jutharat Kulsantiwong, Anthicha Kunjantarachot, Veerachai Thitapakorn
The upregulation of plasma miR-1294 was investigated in this study. Despite these promising findings, the moderate sensitivity suggests that miR-1294 alone may not be sufficient as a standalone diagnostic marker. Nevertheless, its high specificity and non-invasive detectability highlight its potential utility as a complementary biomarker, particularly in combination with other diagnostic indicators for improved detection of CCA.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate plasma miR-1294 levels in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) patients compared with healthy individuals and Opisthorchis viverrini-infected subjects.
METHODS: To assess its potential as a plasma-based diagnostic biomarker, plasma samples were collected and total RNA was extracted from 15 healthy controls (HC), 12 O. viverrini (OV)-infected individuals, and 33 patients with CCA. miR-1294 expression was quantified using RT-qPCR (MiRXES).
RESULTS: Relative expression analysis demonstrated a significant upregulation of plasma miR-1294 in patients with CCA compared with both HC and OV groups (P < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that miR-1294 discriminated CCA from non-CCA subjects, yielding an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.8676, with a specificity of 96.30% and a sensitivity of 63.64%.
CONCLUSION: The upregulation of plasma miR-1294 was investigated in this study. Despite these promising findings, the moderate sensitivity suggests that miR-1294 alone may not be sufficient as a standalone diagnostic marker. Nevertheless, its high specificity and non-invasive detectability highlight its potential utility as a complementary biomarker, particularly in combination with other diagnostic indicators for improved detection of CCA.