ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression level and clinical significance of miR-181c-3p and miR-5692b in esophageal cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The microRNA (miRNA) profiles of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were analyzed by miRNA microarray in 55 cases of esophageal cancer. The expression levels of miR-181c-3p and miR-5692b from 55 pairs of tumor tissues and adjacent non-neoplastic tissues were determined by qRT-PCR analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both miR-181c-3p and miR-5692b were significantly up-regulated in tumor tissues compared with adjacent non-neoplastic tissues. Their expression was also significantly associated with tumor size, depth of invasion and clinical tumor stage (P<0.05). High expression of miR-181c-3p and miR-5692b were significantly associated with poor prognosis (P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that high expression of miR-181c-3p and miR-5692b was poor prognostic indicators in esophageal cancer.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There are significant correlation between miR-181c-3p/miR-5692b expression, clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis. They represent potential prognostic biomarkers in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.</p>