MicroRNA as a diagnostic biomarker in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia; systematic review, meta-analysis and recommendations
MicroRNA as a diagnostic biomarker in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia; systematic review, meta-analysis and recommendations
Several studies detected abnormal mi-RNAs expression levels in childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) with potential diagnostic value. We conducted a systematic search on certain microRNAs in childhood ALL. We included 17 studies with a total of 928 ALL children and 307 controls. Ten studies provided miRNAs expression levels and seven provided frequency data. Sensitivity and specificity of a single miRNA ranged from 46.55% to 100% and from 71.8% to 100%, respectively. The highest diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was for the diagnostic panel (miR-128a and miR-223) reaching 546 [95% CI: 73.768-4041.282]. Also, miR-128a, miR-128b, miR-223, let-7b, miR-155 and miR-24 can be used as diagnostic discriminatory biomarkers between ALL and AML. Further large cohort studies are needed to confirm our results.