Verification of candidate microRNA markers for parathyroid carcinoma

PurposeParathyroid carcinoma (PCa) is a rare endocrine malignancy with poor prognosis and is often difficult to accurately diagnose both before and after surgery. Dysregulated microRNA (miRNA) levels have been identified in PCa using a limited number of samples. The aim of the present study was to verify a group of miRNA markers in a new series of samples to explore their potential significance in PCa diagnosis.MethodsA total of 58 tissue samples, including 17 PCa lesions and 41 sporadic parathyroid adenomas (PAds), were obtained from 56 primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) patients. Candidate miRNAs (miR-139-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-222-3p, miR-26b-5p, miR-296-5p, miR-30b-5p, miR-372-3p, miR-503-5p, miR-517c-3p, miR-7-5p, and miR-126-5p) were quantified by TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR assays.ResultsUp-regulated miR-222 (p = 0.041) levels and down-regulated miR-139 (p = 0.003), miR-30b (p < 0.001), miR-517c (p = 0.038), and miR-126* (p = 0.002) levels were found in PCa relative to PAd. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that miR-139 and miR-30b were the best diagnostic markers. The combination of miR-139 and miR-30b yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.888. Additionally, serum calcium (rs = −0.518, p < 0.001), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) (rs = −0.495, p < 0.001), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (rs = −0.523, p < 0.001) levels were negatively correlated with miR-30b levels.ConclusionsmiR-139, miR-222, miR-30b, miR-517c, and miR-126* were differentially expressed between PCa and PAd. The combined analysis of miR-139 and miR-30b may be used as a potential diagnostic strategy for distinguishing PCa from PAd.