Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood and stool microRNA tests to tell cat gut cancer
By Brogaard, Louise et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2023·Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of serum and fecal microRNA profiles in cats with gastrointestinal cancer and chronic inflammatory enteropathy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) and chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) were studied to find a way to tell the two conditions apart without invasive tests. Researchers discovered that a specific microRNA in the blood, called miR-223-3p, could help differentiate between cats with GIC and those with CIE. This test showed a high level of accuracy, meaning it could be a useful tool for veterinarians to diagnose GIC more easily. While no fecal tests were effective, the blood test could help identify cats needing treatment for GIC, potentially leading to better outcomes.
People also search for: cat gastrointestinal cancer symptoms · cat inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis · cat blood test for cancer
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Differentiation of gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) from chronic inflammatory enteropathies (CIE) in cats can be challenging and often requires extensive diagnostic testing. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have promise as non-invasive biomarkers in serum and feces for diagnosis of GIC. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Cats with GIC will have serum and fecal miRNA profiles that differ significantly from healthy cats and cats with CIE. Identify serum and fecal miRNAs with diagnostic potential for differentiation between cats with GIC and CIE as compared to healthy cats. ANIMALS: Ten healthy cats, 9 cats with CIE, and 10 cats with GIC; all client-owned. METHODS: Cats were recruited for an international multicenter observational prospective case-control study. Serum and feces were screened using small RNA sequencing for miRNAs that differed in abundance between cats with GIC and CIE, and healthy cats. Diagnostic biomarker potential of relevant miRNAs from small RNA sequencing and the literature was confirmed using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: Serum miR-223-3p was found to distinguish between cats with GIC and CIE with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.760-1.0), sensitivity of 90% (95% CI, 59.6-99.5%), and specificity of 77.8% (95% CI, 45.3-96.1%). Serum miR-223-3p likewise showed promise in differentiating a subgroup of cats with small cell lymphoma (SCL) from those with CIE. No fecal miRNAs could distinguish between cats with GIC and CIE. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum miR-223-3p potentially may serve as a noninvasive diagnostic biomarker of GIC in cats, in addition to providing a much needed tool for the differentiation of CIE and SCL.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37486176/