ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the expression of miR-141 and miR-224 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its clinical significance.Methods The levels of serum miR-141,miR-224 and squamous cell carcinoma associated antigen (SCC-Ag) were detected by RT-PCR in 128 patients with NSCLC,60 patients with benign lesions (benign group) and 60 healthy subjects (control group).To analyze the relationship between the expression levels of miR-141 and miR-224 and the clinicopathological features of NSCLC.The sensitivity and specificity of miR-141,miR-224 and SCC-Ag in the diagnosis of NSCLC were evaluated by ROC curve,and the correlation between serum miR-141 and miR-224,SCC-Ag were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis in NSCLC patients.Results The levels of serum miR-141,miR-224 and SCC-Ag in NSCLC group were significantly higher than those in the benign group and the control group[miR-141(2-△△Ct):2.56±0.48 vs 1.08±0.24 and 1.02±0.21,miR-224 (2-△△Ct):3.94±0.82 vs 1.42±0.35 and 1.26±0.30,SCC-Ag (ng/ml):2.75±1.36 vs 0.64±0.47 and 0.52±0.24,all P＜0.01].In patients with NSCLC,the levels of serum miR-141 and miR-224 were correlated with pathological stage,pathological grade and lymph node metastasis (P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off values of serum miR-141,miR 224 and SCC Ag (ng/ml) for diagnosis of NSCLC were 1.84,2.85 and 2.03,respectively.The AUC (0.913) of the three combined diagnosis of NSCLC was the largest,and the sensitivity and specificity were better,with 92.5 ％ and 82.7 ％,respectively.Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum miR-141 were positively corre lated with miR-224 and SCC-Ag (r=0.782,0.594,all P＜0.01),and serum miR 224 was positively correlated with SCC-Ag (r=0.594,P＜0.01).Conclusion Serum miR-141 and miR-224 are up-regulated in patients with NSCLC and are associated with clinicopathological features,and may be a new biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLC.