Abstract
Lung cancer is a major health problem and the second most common cancer in the Kashmiri population. It is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, leading to poor clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the differential expression of serum microRNAs (miR-146a-5p, miR-206 and miR-221-3p) and their diagnostic value in lung cancer patients from Kashmir. Serum miRNAs were isolated using a Trizol-based protocol. A pooled reverse transcription protocol was used to convert miRNA to cDNA using miRNA-specific stem-loop primers. Serum miRNA expression was determined by RT-qPCR using Sybr green. miR-221-3p (1.89, p-value 0.001) and miR-146a-5p (1.445, p-value 0.006) were significantly upregulated in serum of lung cancer patients compared to non-lung cancer patients. However, miR-206 was downregulated in the serum of lung cancer (- 2.6, p-value 0.021). miR-221-3p showed the highest diagnostic significance due to its highest area under the curve (AUC) value (0.825, p-value 0.001). Our study identifies miR-221-3p as the most promising miRNA for the diagnosis of lung cancer in Kashmiri population. These findings contribute to the growing knowledge of lung cancer biomarkers and may facilitate early detection and improved clinical management in the Kashmiri population.