AIMS

Circulating extracellular micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are considered as potential biomarkers for malignancy detection and diagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether circulating miRNA-148/152 family (miR-148a, miR-148b, and miR-152) expression in plasma could be used as potential biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and healthy individuals.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The levels of miRNA-148/152 family were detected by TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay in plasma of 20 NSCLC patients and 10 healthy individuals. The miRNA expression level of each sample was normalized to that of miR-16 and expressed as relative expression (2-ΔΔCt).

RESULTS

The circulating level of all three members of miRNA-148/152 family were significantly lower in plasma samples of NSCLC patients compared with those of healthy controls (P = 0.007, P = 0.003, and P = 0.000, respectively). The expression levels of miR-148a, miR-148b, and miR-152 in the late-stage NSCLC group were all lower than the early-stage NSCLC group (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study suggests that the expression levels of miR-148/152 family in plasma might be useful biomarkers for NSCLC patients samples in the early diagnosis of NSCLC and monitoring of tumour development.