Altrawy Afaf, Talaat Randa M, Nasr Ghada M, Badr Eman A E, Arneth Rebekka, Arneth Borros, Sabit Hussein
Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12566, Egypt.
Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Egypt.
Biomedicines. 2025 Jun 30;13(7):1604. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines13071604.
The current study underscores the potential role of miRNAs, specifically miR-3173 and miR-155, as promising biomarkers for breast and ovarian cancers (BC and OC). The primary objective was to evaluate the expression levels of these miRNAs in cancer patients compared to healthy individuals, assess their diagnostic accuracy, and explore their associations with cancer progression and prognosis. This study involved 60 participants, comprising 30 patients diagnosed with primary BC and 30 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Tumor tissue samples were obtained from all patients for molecular analysis. For control comparisons, adjacent non-tumorous tissues from both groups were utilized. miR-3173 and miR-155 expression levels were measured using real-time PCR (qPCR). The diagnostic accuracy of both miRNAs was evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, calculating sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing cancer cases from healthy controls. Additionally, the association of miR-155 with metastasis was explored, and miR-3173's correlation with poor progression-free survival in BC patients was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis. Both miRNAs were found to be significantly upregulated in cancer patients compared to healthy individuals, with miR-155 exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing BC and OC cases. Notably, miR-155 is associated with metastasis, which aligns with previous research, suggesting its role as an oncogene in epithelial OC. Meanwhile, the elevated expression of miR-3173 correlates with poor progression-free survival in BC patients, marking it as a potential prognostic marker. However, these results highlight the complexity of miRNA expression in cancer progression, as miR-3173 showed varied associations with different types of cancer. Despite these challenges, the ROC curve analysis for both miRNAs is promising with high sensitivity and specificity for both BC and OC. The study findings are particularly significant in the context of early diagnosis and monitoring cancer progression, yet further investigations involving larger cohorts and diverse populations are needed to validate these results. Future studies should focus on expanding sample sizes, refining the understanding of miRNA roles in tumor progression, and exploring their potential as therapeutic targets. These advancements could significantly enhance personalized treatment strategies for breast and ovarian cancer, improving patient outcomes.
当前研究强调了微小RNA（miRNA），特别是miR-3173和miR-155，作为乳腺癌和卵巢癌（BC和OC）潜在生物标志物的作用。主要目的是评估这些miRNA在癌症患者与健康个体中的表达水平，评估其诊断准确性，并探讨它们与癌症进展和预后的关联。本研究涉及60名参与者，包括30名被诊断为原发性BC的患者和30名上皮性卵巢癌（EOC）患者。从所有患者获取肿瘤组织样本进行分子分析。为了进行对照比较，使用了两组的相邻非肿瘤组织。使用实时聚合酶链反应（qPCR）测量miR-3173和miR-155的表达水平。通过受试者操作特征（ROC）曲线分析评估这两种miRNA的诊断准确性，计算区分癌症病例与健康对照的敏感性和特异性。此外，探讨了miR-155与转移的关联，并使用Kaplan-Meier生存曲线分析评估miR-3173与BC患者无进展生存期差的相关性。与健康个体相比，发现这两种miRNA在癌症患者中均显著上调，miR-155在区分BC和OC病例方面表现出高敏感性和特异性。值得注意的是，miR-155与转移相关，这与先前的研究一致，表明其在上皮性OC中作为癌基因的作用。同时，miR-3173的表达升高与BC患者无进展生存期差相关，表明它是一种潜在的预后标志物。然而，这些结果突出了miRNA表达在癌症进展中的复杂性，因为miR-3173与不同类型癌症的关联各不相同。尽管存在这些挑战，两种miRNA的ROC曲线分析对于BC和OC都具有高敏感性和特异性，前景良好。该研究结果在早期诊断和监测癌症进展方面尤为重要，但需要进一步开展涉及更大队列和不同人群的研究来验证这些结果。未来的研究应侧重于扩大样本量，深化对miRNA在肿瘤进展中作用的理解，并探索其作为治疗靶点的潜力。这些进展可能会显著增强乳腺癌和卵巢癌的个性化治疗策略，改善患者预后。
