Diagnostic value of circulating miR-155, miR-21, and miR-10b as promising biomarkers in human breast cancer

Background: Breast cancer (BC) remains one of the top threats to the health of women and so far, there are no powerful and convenient methods to diagnose BC. In this study, we selected 3 microRNAs, miR-155, miR-21, and miR-10b, to assess their diagnostic value in BC screening. Methods: From March, 2014 to March, 2015, 106 BC patients and 106 age-match healthy participants were recruited in our study. Blood samples were collected from the total 206 participants. MicroRNAs were extracted from plasma and quantified by RT-qPCR, which their relative expressions were normalized by external control, cel-miR-39. An new miRNA Score including miR-155, miR-21 and miR-10b, was constructed using multivariate logistic regression. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare microRNAs level as well as other clinical characteristics between two groups. Results: The levels of circulating miR-155, miR-21, and miR-10b were significantly up-regulated in BC patients compared with healthy participants. ROC curve analyses revealed that the AUC (95% CI, sensitivity, specificity) value for miR-10b, miR-29c, and miR-205 were 0.692 (95% CI: 0.625-0.754; sensitivity = 66.0%, specificity = 68.9%), 0.748 (95% CI: 0.684-0.805; sensitivity = 77.4%, specificity = 67.9%), 0.794 (95% CI: 0.733-0.846; sensitivity = 68.9%, specificity = 75.3%), respectively. The new miR-score had the best performance with AUC (95% CI, sensitivity, specificity) of 0.860 (95% CI: 0.806-0.903; sensitivity = 83.0%, specificity = 77.3%). Conclusions: The 3 selected miRNAs, miR-155, miR-21, and miR-10b, were significantly up-regulated in BC patients and may be an ideal, noninvasive screening tool for BC detection.