Saliva supernatant miR-21: a novel potential biomarker for esophageal cancer detection.

OBJECTIVE To identify whether saliva supernatant miR-21 can serve as a novel potential biomarker in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). METHODS 32 patients with EC and 16 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Total RNA was extracted from saliva supernatant samples for measurement of miR-21 levels using RT-qPCR and relationships between miR-21 levels and clinical characteristics of EC patients were analyzed. RESULTS miR-21 was significantly higher in the EC than control groups. The sensitivity and specificity were 84.4% and 62.5% respectively. Supernatant miR-21 levels showed no significant correlation with cancer stage, differentiation and nodal metastasis. CONCLUSIONS Saliva supernatant miR-21 may be a novel biomarker for EC.