Four differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs as prognostic biomarkers and therapy targets in endometrial cancer - Bioinformatic analysis

Sep 24, 2026

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Endometrial cancer is a common gynecologic malignancy in which accumulating evidence suggests tumor-derived exosomes deliver microRNAs to nonmalignant cells, promoting metastasis. This bioinformatic study retrieved exosome-related miRNA expression data from TCGA and NCBI. Differential expression algorithms identified 13 altered miRNAs, including four up-regulated hub exosomal miRNAs linked to patient clinic phenotypes and prognosis. The findings suggest these four miRNAs may serve as prognostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets, pending further clinical validation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages13

Reading Time33 min

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Introduction

Bioinformatic analysis

Differential miRNA expression identification

Prognostic and therapy target evaluation

® Observational Study Four differentially expressed exosomal miRNAsas prognostic biomarkers and therapy targets in endometrial cancer Bioinformatic analysis Yingsha Yao, MDa,* , Liujing Shi, MMa , Xiaoming Zhu, MD, PhDa ,b | Abstract
Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies worldwide. Accumulated evidence has demonstrated exosomes of cancer cells carry microRNAs (miRNAs) to nonmalignant cells to induce metastasis. Our study aimed to find possible biomarkers of EC. Data for miRNA expression related with exosome from EC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and the miRNA expression profiles associated with exosomes of EC were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. We used different algorithms to analyze the differential miRNA expression, infer the relative proportion of immune infiltrating cells, predict chemotherapy sensitivity, and comprehensively score each gene set to evaluate the potential biological function changes of different samples. The gene ontology analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genome genomics pathway analysis were performed for specific genes. A total of 13 differential miRNAs were identified, of which 4 were up-regulated. The 4 miRNAs, that is hsa-miR-17-3p, hsa-miR-99b-3p, hsa-miR-193a-5p, and hsa-miR-320d, were the hub exosomal miRNAs that were all closely related to the clinic phenotypes and prognosis of patients. This study preliminarily indicates that the 4 hub exosomal miRNAs (hsa-miR-17-3p, hsa-miR-99b-3p, hsa-miR-193a-5p, and hsa-miR-320d) could be used as prognostic biomarkers or therapy targets in EC. Further studies are required to make sure of their real feasibility and values in the EC clinic and the relative research. | | --- | | Abbreviation: AUC = area under curve, EC = endometrial cancer, GSVA = gene set variation analysis, HCC = hepatocellular carcinoma, KM = Kaplan–Meier, miRNAs = microRNAs, TCGA = The Cancer Genome Atlas. | | Keywords: differential expression analysis, endometrial cancer, exosome, miRNA | 1. Introduction Endometrial cancer (EC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide for females, and therefore represents a significant public health related issue. [1,2] China reported a yearly incidence rate of 84,520 new EC cases and up to 17,543 EC deaths in 2022.[3] The United States reported a yearly incidence rate of 63,246 new EC cases and up to 11,909 EC deaths. [3] The incidence and associated mortality of EC are rising in the world, either in the transitioning or transitioned countries.[1–4] As shown in the latest report on the annual updates on cancer occurrence and trends in the United States, uterine cancer (including EC but cervix) has been up to the fourth most common cancer of female in the plus 0.8% average annual percent change during 2014–2018 and the sixth most common cause of female cancer death in the plus 1.9% average annual percent change during 2015–2019 in the United States.[5] Here, the average annual percent change of EC in plus 1.9% is the top one among the 20 most common cancer deaths in women of the United States during 2015–2019. [5] EC arises from the lining of the uterus and can broadly divided into 2 types based on the 2014 World Health Organization classification: endometrioid, affecting approximately 80% of patients, and non-endometrioid, affecting approximately 20% of patients. In both premenopausal and postmenopausal patients, endometrioid tumors typically arise from endometrial complex atypical hyperplasia with epithelial atypia. [2] Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) endometrial carcinomas are classified into 4 subgroups: the POLE (DNA polymerase ε ) ultramutated group; the microsatellite instability hypermutated group; the endometrioid group in low copy number and The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose. The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are publicly available. The

FAQs

What was the study’s main objective in endometrial cancer?

To identify potential prognostic biomarkers and therapy targets by analyzing exosome-related microRNA expression associated with endometrial cancer patients.

Which datasets were used for the miRNA expression profiles?

miRNA expression data related to exosomes from endometrial cancer patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and exosome-associated miRNA profiles were obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

How many differential exosomal miRNAs were found, and which were the hub miRNAs?

The study identified 13 differential miRNAs, with 4 up-regulated hub exosomal miRNAs: hsa-miR-17-3p, hsa-miR-99b-3p, hsa-miR-193a-5p, and hsa-miR-320d.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Putri