RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) DSCAM-AS1 has been demonstrated to participate in the pathogenesis of breast cancer and tamoxifen resistance. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate expression profile of DSCAM-AS1 in invasive ductal carcinoma of breast and its suitability as a biomarker for diagnosis of breast cancer. METHODS: We evaluated expression of DSCAM-AS1 in 108 breast tissues including tumoral and adjacent non-cancerous tissues (ANCTs) by means of quantitative real time PCR. RESULTS: DSCAM-AS1 was up-regulated in tumoral tissues compared with ANCTs (Fold change = 2.86, P = 0.011). Its expression was significantly higher in patients aged less than 55 compared with older patients (P = 0.02). However, its expression levels had not a good performance as a diagnostic biomarker for breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The significant up-regulation of DSCAM-AS1 in tumoral tissues compared with ANCTs provides further evidences for participation of this lncRNA in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.