a positive trendp = 0.0841
Except for a positive trend (Pearson r = 0.2142, p = 0.0841) between expressions of plasma miR-21 and exo-miR-21 in the early stage ( Figure 2 B), significantly positive correlations ( Figure 2 A,C) between plasma miR-21 and exo-miR-21 in all stages (Pearson r = 0.3643, p < 0.0001) and in late stages (Pearson r = 0.5554, p < 0.0001) were observed, suggesting a close relationship between plasma miR-21 and exo-miR-21. 3.3.