Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - National Cancer Institute - Department of Clinical Pathology

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. MicroRNAs regulate at least 60% of human genes, including tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes and, thereby, can affect cancer risk. Aim of the Work: This study aimed to evaluate the role of serum miR- 148a as a non-invasive biomarker in NSCLC Egyptian patients and to assess the relation between miR-148a and Bcl-2, as one of its target proteins. Subjects&Methods: Fifty newly diagnosed NSCLC cases and 30 apparently healthy controls were recruited in this study.MiR-148a level was measured by TaqMan- Real time PCR assay and Bcl-2 level was measured by ELISA. Results: The findings of the present work showed significantly lower serum miR-148a gene expression level (median =0.5 versus 3.2) and significantly higher Bcl-2 level concentration (median =2.5 versus 0.9) in NSCLC patients than in control group with p-value <0.001 for both (the AUC for miR-148a was 0.970, while AUC for Bcl-2 was 0.829). In addition there was a statistically significant negative correlation between miR-148a and Bcl-2 (r= -0.799). Lower miR-148a gene expression level and higher Bcl-2 concentration were associated with larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis and advanced tumor stage, while no association was found with age, gender, smoking status or tumor pathology. Conclusion: MiRNA-148a could be a possible biomarker for NSCLC and by targeting Bcl-2 may offer a novel approach for treatment

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