Levels of serum lncRNA MEG3,miR-181b-5p and PSA for evaluating capsular invasion and prognosis of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy

LI Yuefeng; LIU Tao; WANG Wei; ZHANG Long; WANG Haidong; HUANG Haiqiao

doi:10.13263/j.cnki.nja.2026.01.003

Abstract：Objective To investigate the clinical value of serum long non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3(lncRNA MEG3),microribonucleic acid-181b-5p(miR-181b-5p)and PSA in evaluating capsular invasion and prognosis of PCa after radical prostatectomy.Methods This study included 96 cases of PCa and 50 cases of BPH as controls treated in our hospital from August 2017 to August 2020.The serum levels of lncRNA MEG3,miR-181b-5p and PSA of the patients were ex-amined by RT-PCR and imumunochromatography,assessed the diagnostic value of serum lncRNA MEG3,miR-181b-5p and PSA alone or in combination for PCa using ROC curves,and analyzed the relationship of the lncRNA MEG3,miR-181b-5p and PSA levels with the clinicopathological characteristics of PCa.The correlation with capsular invasion in PCa patients by Spearman test.The factors influenced the prognosis of PCa after radical prostatectomy were analyzed using the Cox regression model.The 3-year overall survival of the patients with different levels of lncRNA MEG3,miR-181b-5p and PSA were analyzed using the Ka-plan Meier curve.Results Compared with the controls,the PCa patients showed significantly reduced serum lncRNA MEG3(P＜0.05)and increased miR-181b-5p and PSA(P＜0.05).The AUC values(95％CI)of serum lncRNA MEG3,miR-181 b-5p and PSA alone or in combination for the diagnosis of PCa were 0.723(0.635-0.815),0.764(0.675-0.852),0.811(0.739-0.891)and 0.920(0.870-0.974),respectively.Combined use of the three parameters achieved a signifi-cantly higher diagnostic efficiency than any one used alone(P＜0.05).The level of serum lncRNA MEG3 was remarkably low-er(P＜0.05)and those of miR-181b-5p and PSA markedly higher(P＜0.05)in the patients with Gleason score ≥ 7,clini-cal stage Ⅲ,lymph node metastasis,capsular invasion and low tissue differentiation than in those with Gleason score＜7,clini-cal stage Ⅰ+Ⅱ,no lymph node metastasis,no capsular invasion,and high tissue differentiation.Capsular invasion was corre-lated negatively with the level of serum lncRNA MEG3(P＜0.05)but positively with those of miR-181b-5p and PSA(P＜0.05)in the PCa patients.The 3-year overall survival rate of the patients was significantly lower in the low-level than in the high-level lncRNA MEG3 group(P＜0.05),and so was it in the high-level than in the low-level miR-181b-5p and PSA groups(P＜0.05).Significant risk factors for the prognosis of PCa after radical prostatectomy included decreased lncRNA MEG3,in-creased miR-181b-5p,elevated PSA,clinical stage Ⅲ,capsular invasion,and lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05).Conclusion The level of lncRNA MEG3 is decreased,while those of miR-181b-5p and PSA are increased in the serum of PCa patients,which are all correlated with capsule invasion and reduced 3-year overall survival of the patient,which may provide some guidance for the early diagnosis,severity evaluation and prognosis prediction of PCa.