MiR-21 as a Prognostic Factor for NSCLC

MicroRNA (miR)-21 has been revealed as an oncogene in cancer development, and is one of the miRNAs closely connected to angiogenesis. The authors aimed to explore the impact of miR-21 expression in both tumor and stromal compartments of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and correlations between miR-21 and angiogenic protein markers.

From 335 unselected stage I to IIIA NSCLC carcinomas, duplicate tumor and tumor-associated stromal cores were collected in tissue microarrays (TMAs). In situ hybridization (ISH) was used to detect the expression of miR-21 separately in tumor cells and stromal cells of the tumor, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression of the protein markers protein kinase B (Akt), phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), hypoxia induced factor 1 (HIF1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A).

The authors concluded that in patients with lymph node metastasis, miR-21 expression in tumor cells is an independent positive prognostic factor. High stromal miR-21 expression is a negative prognostic factor.

Read the original paper here: http://bit.ly/1gNWKh3

Source: BMC Clinical Pathology