Expression levels and the prognostic value of long non-coding RNA PVT1 in serum of Han and Uygur gastric cancer patients in Xinjiang, China

BACKGROUND: The expression level of a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1), was studied in serum of Han and Uygur gastric cancer (GC) patients and normal persons in Xinjiang, China, and the prognostic value of PVT1 was analyzed. METHODS: We collected serum samples from 87 GC patients (51 Han and 36 Uygur), and 95 normal persons (55 Han and 40 Uygur). Total RNA was extracted from the serum and used for real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the level of PVT1.The relationships between PVT1 and clinicopathological features were analyzed using the Spearman’s relative analysis, rank sum test, and χ(2) test. At the same time, selection electrochemiluminescence was used to detect the concentration of serum tumor markers, including alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4). The correlation between PVT1 and the tumor markers was analyzed by Spearman’s relative analysis. RESULTS: The serum expression level of PVT1 was higher than that of the normal group in both Han and Uygur GC patients (P<0.05). PVT1 expression in Uygur GC serum was higher than that of Han patients (P<0.05). The high level of serum PVT1 correlated with lymph node metastasis in both Han and Uygur GC patients (P<0.05). Compared with Han GC patients, the Uygur people were more likely to develop distant metastasis (P<0.05). Uygur patients were more often diagnosed at stage III or IV (P<0.05). In addition, serum PVT1 showed a significant correlation with CA19-9 in Han GC patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Increased serum PVT1 level may indicate an increased tendency for lymphatic metastasis, especially in Uygur GC patients. When combined with CA19-9, the PVT1 expression level may be a better diagnostic marker in Han GC patients.