miR-18a-5p and ATM Expression in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Their Correlations with Clinicopathological Features

Abstract

Objective: To investigate miR-18a-5p and ataxia telangiectasia muted (ATM) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and their correlations with clinicopathological features.

Methods: The subjects of this study were 62 ESCC patients (research group, RG) and 57 healthy controls (control group, CG) presented to our hospital between July 2019 and April 2020. Peripheral blood (PB) miR-18a-5p and ATM levels in these participants were quantified via qRT-PCR, and the correlations of the two genes with ESCC patients' clinicopathological characteristics were investigated. In addition, a two-year follow-up was performed on ESCC patients to understand their survival, so as to further determine the prognostic utility of miR-18a-5p and ATM in ESCC. Factors influencing patient outcomes were identified by COX analysis.

Results: PB miR-18a-5p expression was higher in RG compared with CG, while ATM was lower, suggesting an inverse connection between the two genes in ESCC (P < 0.001). miR-18a-5p and ATM levels were determined to be strongly linked to TNM stage, differentiation degree, and lymph node metastasis in ESCC patients (P < 0.001 and P = 0.007). The patients who succumbed to the disease exhibited higher miR-18a-5p and lower ATM than the survival (P < 0.05). ROC analysis suggested favorable evaluation effects of miR-18a-5p and ATM on the occurrence and prognostic death of ESCC (P < 0.001). Further, these two genes were identified by the COX analysis to be factors independently affecting the prognosis of ESCC.

Conclusion: miR-18a-5p is highly expressed in ESCC, and ATM is underexpressed, both of which are closely linked to the pathological process of ESCC and have a good evaluation effect on the occurrence and prognosis of ESCC, which may become a breakthrough in future diagnosis and treatment of ESCC.