Hair Shaft miRNA-221 Levels as a New Tumor Marker of Malignant Melanoma

The study investigated the potential of hair shaft miR-221 levels as a marker for malignant melanoma (MM). It found that miR-221 levels in the hair shaft were significantly higher in MM patients compared to controls. The detection rates of elevated hair shaft miR-221 were similar to those of serum 5-S-CD, a commonly used MM marker. This suggested that measuring hair shaft miR-221 could be a valuable, non-invasive method for MM detection, providing new insights into the relationship between miR-221 and MM. This was the first report to explore hair shaft miR-221 levels in MM patients.