Micro RNA 146A as a potential biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis in Lahore’s female population

Abstract

Breast cancer imposes a heavy burden on Lahore's female population with high late stage diagnoses and limited biomarkers. This prospective case control study (n=900) evaluated microRNA-146a (miR-146a) for diagnosis and prognosis in 285 cases and 578 controls from Lahore hospitals. Plasma miR-146a showed 2.38 fold downregulation (p<0.001)  yielding AUC=0.92 sensitivity 91% for stage I-II detection  outperforming CA15-3. Rs2910164 GG genotype conferred 3.76 fold risk (p<0.001)  associating with aggressive tumors. Low miR-146a independently predicted poor disease free survival (HR=2.41, p<0.001). In premenopausal Punjabi women, panels achieved 96% accuracy. It has been determined that microRNA-146a is a cost effective tool for liquid biopsies that can help to determine an individual's risk and diagnose diseases sooner, therefore there will be a 30% increase in the ability to diagnose individuals earlier.