Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mycosis fungoides (MF), especially in skin of color and early stages, lacks specific and sensitive biomarkers for advanced understanding of its pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prognosis. This study aimed to investigate whether miRNA-590 and miRNA-182 have a role in the pathogenesis of early-stage MF and their potential diagnostic and prognostic values in skin of color patients. METHODS: This single-center prospective cohort study with a two-year follow-up included 30 adult Egyptian patients with early MF (IA-IIA) at the time of diagnosis and 20 healthy controls. Serum levels of both miRNA-590 and miRNA-182 were detected in patients at the time of diagnosis relative to controls. Cutaneous lymphoma international prognostic index and clinical progression risk were also determined. Follow-up was conducted every six months over a two-year period to detect disease progression. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant downregulation of both miRNA-590 and miRNA-182 in patients at the time of diagnosis compared to controls (p = 0.01). Additionally, there were statistically insignificant correlations between serum levels of both miRNA-590 and miRNA-182 and the two-year outcome (p = 0.4 and 0.5, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the potential dual role (oncogenes/tumor suppressors) of both miRNA-590 and miRNA-182 in the development of early MF and the lack of their progression prediction values in skin of color patients. However, further larger-scale studies are required.