How miRNA Can Help in the Diagnosis, Treatment of SCLC

For the first time, researchers from the United States and Italy have identified a microRNA (miRNA/miR)-based biomarker classifier that can distinguish between SCLC and SCC, Michela Saviana, MD, and colleagues reported.

The researchers used 166 plasma samples from patients with lung cancer from two different centers, Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee, to assess circulating miRNAs across histological subtypes. These included a control group, adenocarcinoma, and SCC.

“SCLC diagnosis and surveillance remain significant challenges. The aberrant expression of circulating miRNAs is reported in many tumors and can provide insights into the pathogenesis of tumor development and progression,” the study authors said.

Next-generation sequencing was used to profile circulating cell-free miRNAS from whole plasma in patients, and then selected miRNAs were tested. Finally, a validation dataset was used to evaluate the predicted probability of SCLC association with the group.

Researchers found that miR-375-3p can differentiate between patients with SCLC and NSCLC, as well as between SCLC and SCC.

In addition, the miRNA-based classifier was evaluated by comparing early-stage (stage I or II), nonmetastatic (stages I, II, and III), and metastatic (stage IV) SCLC with the control group. Researchers determined that miR-375-3p, miR-320b, and miR-144-3p can be integrated with race and age to distinguish metastatic SCLC from the control group.

“Our findings represent a step toward the clinical utility of cell-free miRNA circulation as a reliable, cost-effective, and noninvasive biomarker that may have potential as a complement to histology for SCLC diagnosis,” the authors said.