{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T14:06:10Z","timestamp":1790863570614,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]],"date-time":"2025-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752710400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004801","name":"Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FR-22-6827"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FR-22-6827"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004801","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"\nBackground<\/jats:title>\nSOX2, PIWI proteins, and MALAT1 are molecular regulators implicated in cancer progression, proliferation, and epithelial-mesenchmal transition (EMT). This study evaluated their expression in plasma samples from patients with colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers, and assessed their correlations with standard immunohistochemical (IHC) markers.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n\nMethods<\/jats:title>\nA total 300 participants were enrolled: 150 patients with histologically confirmed cancers (50 colorectal cancer, 50 breast cancer, and 50 prostate cancer cases) and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Plasma RNA and protein levels of SOX2, PIWIL1, PIWIL2, and MALAT1 were measured via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. IHC scores (Ki-67, p53, E-cadherin, vimentin, estrogen receptor\/progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, androgen receptor) were retrieved from clinical records. Receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, multivariable logistic regression (adjusting for age and sex), and Pearson\u2019s correlation coefficients were used to evaluate biomarker diagnostic performance and tumor marker associations.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n\nResults<\/jats:title>\nSOX2, PIWI proteins, and MALAT1 were significantly elevated in cancer patients versus controls (p<\/jats:italic>\u2009<\u20090.001), with qRT-PCR and ELISA results strongly correlated. All three biomarkers showed strong positive correlations with Ki-67 (r\u2009=\u20090.65\u20130.72, p<\/jats:italic>\u2009<\u20090.001), and MALAT1 was associated with EMT marker changes (\u2193E-cadherin,\u2009\u2191\u2009vimentin; p<\/jats:italic>\u2009<\u20090.001). Adjusted ROC analysis yielded area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.82\u20130.89 for individual biomarkers, with sensitivity ranging from 72\u221284% and specificity from 75\u221287%. SOX2 levels showed significant correlations with Ki-67 and p53 IHC positivity in colorectal and breast cancer tissues (p\u2009<\u20090.01), although the functional significance of p53 staining remains inconclusive.<\/jats:italic><\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n\nConclusion<\/jats:title>\nThe differential expression of SOX2, PIWI proteins, and MALAT1 between cancer patients and healthy controls supports their potential utility as plasma-based biomarkers for distinguishing cancer cases from non-cancer cases. These findings support their potential utility as non-invasive biomarkers for distinguishing cancer cases from healthy individuals.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0328557","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,17]],"date-time":"2025-07-17T17:39:24Z","timestamp":1752773964000},"page":"e0328557","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["SOX2, PIWI proteins, and MALAT1 \u2013 plasma-based emerging biomarkers for cancer detection and 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