Using MicroRNAs to Predict Lung Cancer Treatment Success
Author Information
Author(s): Mohamed Mansoor Mishfak A., Zhu Xiang, Ashiqueali Sarah Aslam, Alam Md Tanjim, Winiarska Hanna, Pazdrowski Pawel, Kaminski Filip, Copik Alicja, Masternak Michal M., Kuznar-Kaminska Barbara, Wong David
Primary Institution: Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
Hypothesis
Can circulating microRNAs serve as prognostic tools to determine treatment efficacy in lung cancer patients undergoing pembrolizumab therapy?
Conclusion
The study found that circulating microRNAs can be used to evaluate treatment efficacy and predict lung cancer prognosis.
Supporting Evidence
- 12 out of 13 tested microRNAs were downregulated after treatment with pembrolizumab.
- Let-7a was positively associated with patient survival, while miR-217 was negatively associated.
- Patients with PD-L1 expression greater than 50% had higher survival rates.
Takeaway
Doctors can check tiny molecules in the blood called microRNAs to see how well lung cancer treatment is working.
Methodology
The study evaluated miRNA levels in the blood of 38 lung cancer patients before and after three months of pembrolizumab treatment using qPCR analysis.
Potential Biases
The study's findings may be influenced by the small sample size and the fact that some patients could not complete the treatment.
Limitations
The study had a small cohort size and limited diversity in demographics, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included 38 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, with a mean age of 68.1 years, consisting of 47.37% females and 52.63% males.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.138
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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