A three-microRNA signature predicts clinical outcome in breast cancer patients

D. Cheng, H. He, B. Liang

Transfusion Department, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China. dayecheng_cmu@126.com

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• Oncology

OBJECTIVE: Breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) is a complex polygenic disease characterized by molecular and histological heterogeneity. An effort is underway to explore and investigate multiple reliable prognostic markers to improve management of BRCA patients and provide novel therapeutic targets. The aim of the study is to identify the prognostic miRNA signature in BRCA patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The miRNA-sequencing data and clinical information of BRCA patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.

RESULTS: A total of 106 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between BRCA tissues and matched normal tissues, including 81 up-regulated miRNAs and 25 down-regulated miRNAs. Then, we established a set of three-miRNA signature that was significantly associated with BRCA patients’ survival. Using the prognostic three-miRNA signature, we classified the BRCA patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Multivariate Cox regression demonstrated that the prognostic power of the three-miRNA signature was independent of other clinical variables. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that three prognostic miRNAs may be involved in known BRCA-related KEGG pathways and biological processes.

CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that three-miRNA signature could be a potential biomarker for predicting clinical outcomes for BRCA patients.

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