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Updated: Mar 25, 2026
MicroRNA Based Liquid Biopsy: The Experience of the Plasma miRNA Signature Classifier MSC for Lung Cancer Screening
Published on: October 26, 2017
Increased Plasma miRNA-30a as a Biomarker for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Ling Sun1, Yifan Chen2, Qiaoli Su3
1Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Research Center of Regeneration Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China (mainland).
Abstract:
BACKGROUND MicroRNA (miRNA) is a small, non-coding RNA molecule which plays a role in the carcinogenesis and progression of cancers. Abnormal expression of miRNA in plasma has been found in some patients with malignant tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study was conducted to investigate the expression of miRNA-30a in plasma of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The plasma miRNA-30a in 87 patients with NSCLC, 20 patients with benign lung diseases, and 76 healthy subjects were measured by real-time PCR. The diagnostic value of miRNA-30a in NSCLC was evaluated via the ROC curve method. RESULTS Plasma miRNA-30a level was significantly higher in the NSCLC group compared with benign control and healthy control groups (P<0.01). No statistically significant difference was found in the expression level of miRNA-30a among various clinical pathologic features in NSCLC. ROC curve analysis showed that the specificity and sensitivity cut-off points were at 61.0% and 84.3% for NSCLC. The specificity and sensitivity values were 54.9% and 94.4%, respectively, in the analysis based on in-patients only. CONCLUSIONS All these results suggest that plasma miRNA-30a measurement may be a novel and noninvasive method for NSCLC preliminary screening and differential diagnosis.
Insights
Plasma miRNA-30a levels are elevated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This finding suggests miRNA-30a may serve as a novel biomarker for early NSCLC detection and diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules implicated in cancer development and progression.
- Aberrant miRNA expression in plasma is observed in patients with various malignant tumors.
- Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression levels of miRNA-30a in the plasma of NSCLC patients.
- To evaluate the diagnostic potential of plasma miRNA-30a as a biomarker for NSCLC.
- To assess the correlation between miRNA-30a expression and clinical-pathological features in NSCLC.
Main Methods:
- Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to measure plasma miRNA-30a levels.
- The study included 87 NSCLC patients, 20 patients with benign lung diseases, and 76 healthy controls.
- Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized to determine the diagnostic accuracy of miRNA-30a.
Main Results:
- Plasma miRNA-30a levels were significantly elevated in NSCLC patients compared to both benign and healthy controls (P<0.01).
- No significant association was found between miRNA-30a expression and various clinical-pathological characteristics of NSCLC.
- ROC curve analysis indicated a sensitivity of 84.3% and specificity of 61.0% for NSCLC detection.
Conclusions:
- Plasma miRNA-30a measurement presents a promising non-invasive approach for the preliminary screening of NSCLC.
- miRNA-30a may serve as a valuable biomarker for the differential diagnosis of NSCLC.
- Further research is warranted to validate these findings and explore therapeutic implications.
