Identifying adipocyte-derived exosomal miRNAs as potential novel prognostic markers for radiotherapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Figure 7 Exo-miR-660-5p as a potential biomarker for predicting radiotherapeutic efficacy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A: Representative findings of Controls and patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC); B: Esophageal and computed tomography (CT) examination findings before and after radiotherapy in responsive esophageal cancer patients; C: Esophageal and CT examination findings before and after radiotherapy in non-responsive esophageal cancer patients; D: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction validation of selected miRNAs. Four upregulated miRNAs (miR-30a-5p, miR-378a-3p, miR-193b-3p, miR-660-5p) were validated in the sample set. MiR-193b-3p and miR-660-5p showed significant differential expression (^aP < 0.05; ^bP < 0.01); E: Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to assess the predictive ability of miR-193b-3p and miR-660-5p for radiochemotherapy sensitivity in ESCC. Serum exosomal miR-660-5p exhibited a statistically significant difference, suggesting its potential role as a biomarker for predicting radiotherapy sensitivity in ESCC. ESCC: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.