Among malignant neoplasms, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the highest fatality rates due to its late detection. Therefore, it is essential to discover a noninvasive, early, specific, and sensitive diagnostic method. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are attractive biomarkers because they are accessible, highly specific, and sensitive. It is crucial to find miRNAs that could be used as possible biomarkers because PDAC is the eighth most common cause of cancer death in Mexico. With the help of microRNA microarrays, differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were found in PDAC tissues. The presence of these DEmiRNAs in the plasma of Mexican patients with PDAC was determined using RT-qPCR. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic capacity of these DEmiRNAs. Gene Expression Omnibus datasets (GEO) were employed to verify our results. The Prisma V8 statistical analysis program was used. Four DEmiRNAs in plasma from PDAC patients and microarray tissues were found. Serum samples from patients with PDAC were used to validate their overexpression in GEO databases. We discovered a new panel of the two miRNAs miR-222-3p and miR-221-3p that could be used to diagnose PDAC, and when miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p were overexpressed, survival rates decreased. Therefore, miR-222-3p and miR-221-3p might be employed as noninvasive indicators for the diagnosis and survival of PDAC in Mexican patients.
Keywords: PDAC; biopsies; miRNAs; microarrays; plasma.