Serum miR-150 as a novel prognostic biomarker for acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy with dismal prognosis. Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is a common feature during the tumorigenesis of AML. miR-150 is downregulated in AML and might act as a tumor suppressor in this malignant disease. However, the prognostic value of serum miR-150 in AML has not been intensively studied. In the present study, we firstly detected the expression pattern of serum miR-150 in AML patients and healthy control subjects using real-time PCR. Then various analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of serum miR-150 in AML. Serum miR-150 levels were significantly lower in AML patients especially those with M5 subtype or poor risk cytogenetic. Serum miR-150 levels increased significantly in those patients who achieved complete remission. In addition, serum miR-150 levels were associated with FAB classification, percentage of blast in bone marrow and cytogenetics. AML patients with lower serum miR-150 expression had shorter overall survival and event free survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum miR-150 was an independent prognostic factor for AML. Collectively, our results demonstrate that serum miR-150 levels are reduced in AML and might have potential prognostic value for this deadly malignancy.