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Updated: Jun 4, 2025
Clinicopathological Analysis of miRNA Expression in Breast Cancer Tissues by Using miRNA In Situ Hybridization
Published on: June 7, 2016
Evaluating MicroRNAs as diagnostic tools for lymph node metastasis in breast cancer: Findings from a systematic
Coral González Martínez1, Stavros Therapontos2, Jose A Lorente3
1GENYO, Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, Liquid biopsy and Cancer Interception Group, PTS Granada, Avenida de la Ilustración 114, Granada 18016, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute IBS-Granada, Avda. de Madrid, 15, Granada 18012, Spain; Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Legal Medicine and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Avenida de la Investigación 11, Granada 18071, Spain; Integral Oncology Division, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Av. Dr. Olóriz 16, Granada 18012, Spain; Molecular Pathology Lab. Pathological Anatomy Unit, University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Granada 18016, Spain.
Abstract:
Lymph node metastasis (LNM) significantly affects the prognosis and clinical management of breast cancer (BC) patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with LNM in BC and evaluate their potential diagnostic and prognostic value. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases, to assess the role of miRNAs in LNM BC. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool was used to evaluate the quality of included studies. A total of 84 miRNAs were identified as differentially expressed in BC patients with LNM. Of these, a meta-analysis was performed in two microRNAs that were present in at least 3 different articles with a coherent expression direction: miR-155 and miR-34a. The meta-analysis returned a pooled a Log2 fold change of 1.50 for miR-155 (upregulated) and -0.53 for miR-34a (downregulated) with no evidence of publication bias, and a low risk of bias and applicability concerns. To conclude, this study names miR-155 and miR-34a as potential diagnostic biomarkers for LNM in BC, although further experimental validation is necessary to confirm these findings and develop non-invasive diagnostic tools for clinical use.
