The Expression of Circulating miR-497 and Metadherin in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Relation to the Tumor Characteristics and Patients’ Survival

• Main Authors: Dina A. Ali, Nesreen M. Sabry, Ahmed M. Kabel, Rasha A. Gaber, Hwaida M. Mokhtar, Sara M. Samy, Mohamed A. Elrashidy, Samir A. Salama, Dina Abdelhai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: Medicina
• Subjects: hepatocellular carcinoma; miRNA-497; metadherin; prognosis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/57/9/866

<i>Objectives</i>: This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance and relationship of miR-497 and metadherin to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor characteristics and patients’ survival. <i>Methods</i>: This study enrolled 120 (60 HCC patients and 60 healthy) subjects. Serum miR-497 and metadherin mRNA relative expression were analyzed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The overall survival (OS) of HCC patients was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier curve and log-rank test. <i>Results</i>: Serum miR-497 showed statistically significant downregulation in HCC patients compared to controls (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Serum metadherin mRNA relative expression was significantly upregulated in HCC patients compared to controls (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Both serum miR-497 and metadherin mRNA expression were significantly associated with the number of tumor foci (<i>p</i> = 0.028 and 0.001, respectively), tumor size (<i>p</i> = 0.022 and <0.001, respectively), nodal metastasis (<i>p</i> = 0.003 and 0.003, respectively), distant metastasis (<i>p</i> = 0.003 and 0.003, respectively), vascular invasion (<i>p</i> = 0.040 and <0.001, respectively), and BCLC staging (<i>p</i> = 0.043 and 0.004, respectively). The overall survival was lower in patients with low miR-497 expression (<i>p</i> = 0.046) and in patients with high metadherin expression (<i>p</i> < 0.001). <i>Conclusions</i>: The expression levels of miR-497 showed downregulation in HCC patients, but metadherin expression showed upregulation. Both markers were inversely related and closely correlated with tumor characteristics and patients’ survival.