Identification of a Two-MicroRNA Signature in Plasma as a Novel Biomarker for Very Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Anna Adam‐Artigues, Iris Garrido‐Cano, Juan Antonio Carbonell‐Asins, Ana Lameirinhas, Soraya Simón, Belén Ortega, María Teresa Martínez, Cristina Hernándo, Vera Constâncio, Octavio Burgués, Begoña Bermejo, Rui Henrique, Aňa Lluch, Cármen Jerónimo, Pîlar Eroles, Juan Miguel Cejalvo
Abstract
The early diagnosis of breast cancer is essential to improve patients' survival rate. In this context, microRNAs have been described as potential diagnostic biomarkers for breast cancer. Particularly, circulating microRNAs have a strong value as non-invasive biomarkers. Herein, we assessed the potential of a microRNA signature based on miR-30b-5p and miR-99a-5p levels in plasma as a diagnostic biomarker for breast cancer. This two-microRNA signature was constructed by Principal Component Analysis and its prognostic value was assessed in a discovery cohort and blindly validated in a second cohort from an independent institution. ROC curve analysis and biomarker performance parameter evaluation demonstrated that our proposed signature presents a high value as a non-invasive biomarker for very early detection of breast cancer. In addition, pathway enrichment analysis identified three of the well-known pathways involved in cancer as targets of the two microRNAs.