Altered miR-223 expression in sputum for diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer

ABSTRACT

Background: Diagnosis of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer [NSCLC] at an early stage is a daunting challenge due to the deficiency of specific noninvasive markers. MicroRNAs [miRNAs] play important roles in the initiation and progression of NSCLC. Measuring miRNA expression levels could provide a potential approach for the diagnosis of NSCLC. Our goals were to examine miR-223, miR-212, miR-192, miR-3074, SNORD33 and SNORD37 expression levels in tissue and sputum of NSCLC patients and cancer free subjects for molecular diagnosis of NSCLC