Prognostic Significance Of Circulating Mir-182-5p And Mir-218-5p As Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers In Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

Background/Aims:Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carries a poor prognosis, and reliable non-invasive biomarkers for prognostication remain limited. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), such as miR-182 and miR-218, have shown potential in reflecting tumor behavior—miR-182 is often oncogenic, while miR-218 functions as a tumor suppressor. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of circulating miR-182-5p and miR-218-5p in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Materials and methods:In this prospective study, 60 patients with histologically confirmed advanced NSCLC and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum levels of miR-182-5p and miR-218-5p were measured using quantitative real-time PCR at diagnosis and after four cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy. Expression patterns were correlated with clinical and pathological parameters.

Results: At diagnosis, miR-182-5p was downregulated in 68.3% and upregulated in 31.7%, while miR-218-5p was downregulated in 76.7% and upregulated in 23.3%. After chemotherapy, downregulation persisted in 75.0% for miR-182-5p and 77.1% for miR-218-5p. A significant association was found between miR-182-5p expression and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.008), with all node-negative patients exhibiting downregulation. No significant clinical correlations were observed for miR-218-5p.

Conclusion: miR-182-5p shows promise as a prognostic biomarker in advanced NSCLC, particularly for predicting lymph node involvement. The persistent downregulation of both miRNAs supports their utility in disease monitoring.