Downregulation of MiR-30a is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Lung Cancer

Recent reports have suggested that miR-30a plays a tumor-suppressive role in various cancers. However, miR-30a has not been completely studied in non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). Thus, the aim of the present study was to clarify the association between the expression of miR-30a and the clinicopathological features in NSCLC patients.

Total RNA of miR-30a was extracted from 125 pairs of NSCLC patients (male 75, female 50) and their matching normal tissues. The miR-30a level was detected by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Simultaneously, the 2-ΔCq method was used to calculate the correlation between miR-30a expression and the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of NSCLC patients.

MiR-30a expression was significantly down-regulated in NSCLC tissues (4.0696±2.4178) compared to their non-tumor lung tissues (7.4530±3.0561, P<0.001). Level of miR-30a was negatively correlated to tumor size (r=-0.197, P=0.028), lymphatic metastasis (r=-0.312, P<0.001), clinical TNM stage (r=-0.299, P=0.001), pathological grading (I/II vs. III, r=-0.224, P=0.001), and histological classification (r=-0.299, P=0.001). Survival time was 3.23±2.18 months in the low miR-30a expression group, remarkably shorter than that of the high expression group (20.72±11.63 months, P<0.001).

MiR-30a may be regarded as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC, and it could become a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.