Serum MicroRNA is a Biomarker for Post-operative Monitoring in Glioma. (16th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jones, Jordan J; Nguyen, Hong; Drummond, Katherine J; Morokoff, Andrew
• Is Part Of: Neurosurgery. Volume 67(2010)Supplement 1
• Publication Date: 2020-11-16
• Subjects: Nervous system -- Surgery -- Periodicals; 617.48005
• DOI: 10.1093/neuros/nyaa447_898
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0148-396X

Abstract

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Although Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides good anatomic and spatial details about gliomas, it is not reliable at determining biological behaviour, confounded by problems such as pseudo-progression, and is inconvenient and expensive. Repeated biopsies are not generally feasible and are subject to sampling error. A circulating biomarker has the potential to aid in these challenges with the advantage of being easily obtained by a blood test at multiple timepoints. Despite its major potential, no circulating biomarker has yet been validated in gliomas. Micro-RNA (miRNA) are small non-coding RNA fragments that show promise as biomarkers in cancer. METHODS: A prospectively collected cohort of 91 glioma patients and 17 healthy controls underwent pre and post-operative serum miRNA profiling using Nanostring®. Differentially expressed miRNAs were discovered using a machine learning random forest analysis. Candidate miRNAs were then assessed by droplet digital PCR in 11 patients with multiple follow up samples and compared to tumour volume based on MRI. RESULTS: Principal component analysis demonstrated clustering of miRNAs into glioblastoma, low-grade gliomas and healthy controls. A 9-gene miRNA signature was identified that could distinguish between glioma and healthy controls with 99.8% accuracy, 100% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity. Two miRNAs miR-223 and miR-320e, best demonstrated dynamic changes that correlated closely with tumour volume in LGG and GBM respectively. Importantly, miRNA levels did not increase in two cases of pseudo-progression, indicating the potential utility of this test in guiding treatment decisions. CONCLUSION: We identified a highly accurate 9-miRNA signature associated with glioma serum. Additionally, we observed dynamic changes in specific miRNAs correlating with tumour volume over long-term follow up. These results support a large prospective validation study of serum miRNA biomarkers in glioma.