Abstract
Background The purpose of this study was to determine the alterations of
a specific set of miRNA levels in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues in
order to identify gastric cancer specific miRNAs. Identification of the
relationship between alteration of miRNA expressions and clinical
features of these gastric cancer patients was set as a secondary
outcome. Material and Methods Gastric adenocarcinoma and normal stomach
tissue samples of 20 patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer
were studied. miRNA expression profiling was performed for 8 miRNAs (2
of which has not been studied in detail for gastric cancer) in a total
of 40 tissue samples using Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase
Chain Reaction. Alterations in expressions were compared with the
clinicopathological characteristics of the patients. Results Five out of
eight miRNAs were underexpressed in malignant tissues. A decrease in the
expression levels of miR-375-3p, miR-196a-5p, miR-376c-3p, miR-34c-5p,
and miR-767-5p were observed. Furthermore, the expression of miR-662 was
reversely related with age (r: -0,44, p: 0.04933); miR-129-3p and
miR34c-5p levels were correlated with an increase in the number of
metastatic lymph nodes (r: 0,47, p: 0.036495; r: 0,51, p: 0.020289); and
miR-376c-3p levels were negatively associated with smoking (p: 0.04321).
In addition, the variability of miRNA expression in cancerous tissues
was lower than that in normal tissues. Conclusion Alterations in miRNA
expressions in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues compared to healthy
tissues of each individual may serve as a starting point for research
and development of a diagnostic tool for gastric cancer.