Micro-RNAs in the Diagnosis of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas

Abstract

Rationale. Early diagnosis of mycosis fungoides (MF), as the most common form of T-cell lymphoma, presents significant challenges. The diagnosis of MF is based on the following criteria: comprehensive assessment of the clinical picture of the disease, histological and immunohistochemical examination of the skin, and determination of rearrangement of the T-cell receptor gene, but even this does not always aid in diagnosis. The aim of the study is to investigate the expression of micro-RNAs (miR-223, -423, -663, -16, -326, -711) in the blood plasma and leukocytes of patients with a presumptive diagnosis of MF to improve the disease diagnosis. Methods. This study included 50 patients aged 24 to 79 years, of whom 30 patients had a preliminary diagnosis of MF and 20 patients with small plaque parapsoriasis, who formed the comparison group. All patients underwent histological, immunohistochemical examination of skin biopsies, and determination of micro-RNA (miR-223, -423, -663, -16, -326, -711) expression in blood plasma and leukocytes by real-time PCR. Results. Analyzing the results of clinical-anamnestic, histological, and immunohistochemical research methods, the diagnosis of MF was established in 22 of 30 (73.3%) patients, of which 9 of 14 (64.3%) were in the early stages of the disease. small plaque parapsoriasis. Conclusion. During our study, it was found that the studied micro-RNAs (miR-326, -663, -711, -223, -423, -16) in the blood plasma and leukocytes of patients with MF have statistically significant levels of expression compared to the low level of expression of these micro-RNAs in patients with small plaque parapsoriasis. The expression of micro-RNAs we studied in the skin contributes to the improvement of MF diagnosis with an accuracy of up to 90%.