Abstract
Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. Accumulating evidence has suggested that aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of NSCLC. The current study is aimed at investigating the clinical significance of serum miR-629 in NSCLC. The expression levels of serum miR-629 in patients with NSCLC, patients with nonmalignant lung diseases, and healthy controls were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Our results showed that serum miR-629 levels were significantly upregulated in NSCLC patients compared to the controls. Serum miR-629 exhibited better performance for discriminating NSCLC patients from healthy controls, compared to the traditional biomarkers CYFRA 21-1 and CEA. In addition, a high serum miR-629 level was positively correlated with adverse clinicopathological parameters including lymph node metastasis, differentiation, and clinical stage. Serum miR-629 was dramatically reduced in the NSCLC cases receiving surgical treatment. Moreover, the patients in the high serum miR-629 group suffered poorer overall survival and disease-free survival than those in the low serum miR-629 group. In conclusion, serum miR-629 might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for NSCLC.