Serum outperforms plasma in small extracellular vesicle microRNA biomarker studies of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.

Background: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are potential biomarkers for many diseases. However, they can originate from non-disease specific sources, such as blood cells, and compromise the investigations for miRNA biomarkers. While small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have been suggested to provide a purer source of circulating miRNAs for biomarkers discovery, the most suitable blood sample for sEV miRNA biomarker studies has not been defined.

Circulating Serum Exosomal miRNAs As Potential Biomarkers for Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: The poor prognosis and rising incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma highlight the need for improved detection methods. The potential for circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers in other cancers has been shown, but circulating miRNAs have not been well characterized in esophageal adenocarcinoma. We investigated whether circulating exosomal miRNAs have potential to discriminate individuals with esophageal adenocarcinoma from healthy controls and non-dysplastic Barrett's esophagus.