Diagnostic Potential of miR-30a and miR-200c in Invasive Breast Ductal Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is responsible for the death of many people. It is mainly found in women; however, it is rarely observed in men. Nowadays, extensive research has been conducted on the detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of biomarkers of this type of cancer, as well as other types. MicroRNAs play a major role in regulating the onset and progression of breast cancer. To date, many significant increases and decreases in microRNAs levels have been reported during various cancers, and also tumor inhibitory roles have been reported for these small non-coding RNA molecules. Methods: In this study, miR-30a and miR-200c were studied to find new expression patterns in breast cancer patients. For this purpose, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the relationships between expression levels of miR-30a and miR-200c and several clinical and pathological features of the disease, such as tumor stage, HER2 gene expression, and lymphatic metastasis. Results: Our results showed that the expression of miR-200c and miR-30a in tumor samples was significantly lower than in normal samples (P < 0.01). Also, at higher stages of the disease, the expression of both miRNAs was remarkably reduced (P < 0.01). We also found that the expression of two miRNAs in patients with HER2 gene expression and metastasis in lymphatic regions was significantly lower than in HER2-negative and non-metastatic patients (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: We identified the relationship between miR-200c and miR-30a and breast cancer. These findings indicate that these microRNAs can be considered biomarkers in breast cancer.