Development of a microRNA Panel for Classification of Abnormal Mammograms for Breast Cancer

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Oncology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Mammography is a primary breast cancer screening tool but suffers from high false-positive rates.
• Accurate differentiation between malignant and benign breast lesions in women with abnormal mammograms remains a clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify circulating microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers in blood for discriminating malignant from benign breast lesions.
• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of a miRNA biomarker panel in conjunction with mammography.

Main Methods:

• Prospective collection of blood samples from women with abnormal mammograms.
• Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to measure 324 miRNA expression levels.
• Development and validation of a six-miRNA biomarker panel using cross-validation, feature selection, and logistic regression.

Main Results:

• A six-miRNA panel achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.785 (Discovery) and 0.774 (Validation) for differentiating malignant from benign lesions.
• The panel demonstrated an AUC of 0.881 when distinguishing cancer cases from benign lesions or healthy controls.
• Biomarker panel scores correlated positively with tumor size, stage, and lymph node involvement.

Conclusions:

• Circulating miRNA signatures hold potential as supplementary biomarkers to mammography for improved breast lesion characterization.
• This blood-based approach may enhance diagnostic accuracy and reduce unnecessary biopsies in breast cancer screening.