Evaluation of miR-146 and miR-196 as potential biomarkers in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients

Abstract

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease defined by molecular types and subtypes. It constitutes the most commonly-diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) World Cancer Reports in 2020. The study aimed to evaluate the miR-146 and miR-196 expression level and their association with the ca15-3 serum level of the participants diagnosed with breast cancer. There were 105 samples, three groups of 35 fresh blood samples and FFPE Tissue samples, which were collected as malignant, benign and healthy control. CA15-3 concentration was elevated in a malignant group with a mean equal to (36.14 Units/ml) in comparison to (27.07 Units/ml) for the benign group and (14.34 Units/ml) for the healthy control group (p<0.01). The results revealed that the expression of miR-146 in Malignant breast tumor tissue was (2.378 ±0.76) times more, while in benign breast tissue, with the fold of expression (1.197 ±0.38) in comparison with apparently healthy tissue. At the same time, the expression of miR-196 in Malignant breast tumor tissue was (8.11 ±2.15) times more, while in benign breast tissue, with a fold of expression (2.584 ±0.84) compared with apparently healthy tissue with highly significant differences. Keyword: Breast Cancer, miR-146, miR-196, ca15-3, FFPE