Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer patients compared to healthy people as well as possibility of detection of these molecules in blood samples make them potential biomarkers of various cancers. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of four miRNAs as lung cancer (LC) biomarkers: miRNA-448, 506, 4316, and 4478. Using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) technique, we assessed expression of studied miRNAs in plasma samples of 90 lung cancer patients and 85 healthy individuals. Receiver operating curves (ROC) with area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess accuracy of studied miRNAs for distinguishing LC patients from healthy individuals. The miRNA-448 and 4478 were significantly overexpressed in lung cancer patients compared to healthy people and these two molecules were qualified for further analysis. Combination ROC analysis of both biomarkers reached 90 % of sensitivity and 76.3 % of specificity (AUC = 0.896) for distinguishing operable (stage IA-IIB) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients from healthy subjects. Our results suggest that the examination of miRNAs could be considered as potential lung cancer, non-invasive biomarkers.
Keywords: Biomarkers; Early detection; Lung cancer; miRNA-4478; miRNA-448.