MiRNA expression profile reveals a prognostic signature for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

In this study, we analyzed the microRNA (miRNA) expression profile of 119 paired ESCC samples by microarray and identified a four-miRNA signature that predicted patient survival. The signature derived from the training set (n = 60) had a good prognostic value in the test set (n = 59) and the independent cohort (n = 58), indicating the replicability of its prognostic value. Furthermore, the stratified analysis showed that the signature could predict the survival of TNM stage II and stage III patients, indicating that the four-miRNA signature could help to more accurately predict ESCC patient survival.