MicroRNA (miRNA) can be used as a biomarker to predict which patients are likely to face breast cancer recurrence and mortality, according to study results published online ahead of print in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS).
While long-term outcomes have improved for patients with breast cancer, the most common cancer diagnosed in women, 20% to 30% of these patients will see their breast cancer come back. The process of identifying which patients are more likely to have a recurrence has been a challenge. Therefore, a research team in Galway, Republic of Ireland, set out to determine whether miRNAs—small, non-coding molecules that modulate genetic expression and affect cancer development—predict which breast cancer patients are more likely to have a recurrence of, and die from, breast cancer.
The researchers discovered that patients with an increased expression of a certain type of miRNA, miR-145, are unlikely to have a recurrence of breast cancer. In other words, miR-145 inhibited the development and progression of cancer, explained lead author Matthew G. Davey, MRCSI, PhD, discipline of surgery, University of Galway, Republic of Ireland.
Key findings:
The study found that increased miR-145 expression correlated with improved outcomes at almost nine years follow-up.
- Increased miR-145 independently predicted improved recurrence-free survival (HR: 0.00, 95% CI: 0.00 – 0.99, P=0.050) and trended towards improved disease-free survival (HR: 0.00, 95% CI: 0.00 – 1.42, P=0.067) when statistical analyses were performed.
- Increased miR-145 expression levels did not predict overall survival.
