Using Plasma MicroRNA to Diagnose Lung Cancer in Patients with Solitary Pulmonary Nodules
Author Information
Author(s): Shen Jun, Liu Ziling, Todd Nevins W, Zhang Howard, Liao Jipei, Yu Lei, Guarnera Maria A, Li Ruiyun, Cai Ling, Zhan Min, Jiang Feng
Primary Institution: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Can plasma microRNAs serve as effective biomarkers for identifying lung cancer in individuals with solitary pulmonary nodules detected by CT scans?
Conclusion
Plasma microRNAs can potentially serve as noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosing lung cancer in patients with solitary pulmonary nodules.
Supporting Evidence
- The study identified three microRNAs that can distinguish malignant from benign solitary pulmonary nodules with high sensitivity and specificity.
- The combined use of miR-21, miR-210, and miR-486-5p yielded an area under the curve of 0.855 in distinguishing lung tumors from benign SPNs.
- Validation in a testing set confirmed the diagnostic value of the microRNA panel.
Takeaway
Doctors can use special molecules in the blood called microRNAs to help tell if a lung bump is cancer or not, which can help catch cancer early.
Methodology
The study involved a training set of 32 patients with malignant SPNs, 33 with benign SPNs, and 29 healthy smokers, followed by validation in a testing set of 76 malignant and 80 benign SPNs, using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR to analyze plasma microRNA levels.
Limitations
The study's findings are based on a limited number of microRNA candidates, and the heterogeneity of malignant SPNs may affect the results.
Participant Demographics
{"training_set":{"malignant":{"count":32,"median_age":66.2,"sex_distribution":{"female":12,"male":20}},"benign":{"count":33,"median_age":64.7,"sex_distribution":{"female":13,"male":20}},"healthy_smokers":{"count":29,"median_age":66.5,"sex_distribution":{"female":10,"male":19}}},"testing_set":{"malignant":{"count":76,"median_age":67.9,"sex_distribution":{"female":34,"male":42}},"benign":{"count":80,"median_age":65.4,"sex_distribution":{"female":30,"male":50}}}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
p ≤ 0.001
Statistical Significance
p ≤ 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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