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.

Keywords: Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology, Cluster Analysis, Down-Regulation - genetics, Inpatients, Linear Models, Lung Neoplasms - pathology, MicroRNAs - genetics, ROC Curve