MicroRNA-9 is a ponderable index for the prognosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common primary malignant tumors of the liver worldwide; however, despite its significance, there is a lack of treatment methods and clear prognoses. MicroRNA-9 (miR-9) is known to play an important role in tumor tumorigenesis and progression. Talin-1, which plays a significant role in regulating the transmutation of carcinoma, has been demonstrated to be downregulated by miR-9 in epithelial ovarian cancer. In the present study, we researched the potential role of miR-9 in the prognosis of HCC. The expression levels of miR-9 and Talin-1 mRNA in HCC tissues (n = 60), adjacent non-cancerous tissues (n = 60), and normal liver tissues (n = 20) were detected using a real-time quantitative assay; protein expression levels of Talin-1 were detected using western blot. The expression levels of miR-9 were significantly higher in HCC tissues (P < 0.001) than in normal liver and adjacent non-cancerous tissues. These levels were significantly associated with tumor grade, tumor size, portal vein tumor thrombus, integral capsule, and 2.0-year disease-free survival rate (P < 0.05). High levels of miR-9 were strongly associated with the malignant progression of HCC, and overexpression of miR-9 is a risk factor that has a statistically significant effect on survival rate. miR-9 could play a role as an HCC tumor activator by regulating the expression of Talin-1; therefore, miR-9 might be a potentially valuable biomarker for the prognosis in HCC patients.