Identification of Potential microRNA Panels for Male Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Identification Using Microarray Datasets and Bioinformatics Methods.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still one of the types of cancer with the highest death rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in NSCLC development. This study evaluates miRNA expression patterns and specific mechanisms in male patients with NSCLC. Methods: We report an integrated microarray analysis of miRNAs for eight matched samples of males with NSCLC compared to the study of public datasets of males with NSCLC from TCGA, followed by qRT-PCR validation. Results: For the TCGA dataset, we identified 385 overexpressed and 75 underexpressed miRNAs. Our cohort identified 54 overexpressed and 77 underexpressed miRNAs, considering a fold-change (FC) of ±1.5 and p < 0.05 as the cutoff value. The common miRNA signature consisted of eight overexpressed and nine underexpressed miRNAs. Validation was performed using qRT-PCR on the tissue samples for miR-183-3p and miR-34c-5p and on plasma samples for miR-34c-5p. We also created mRNA-miRNA regulatory networks to identify critical molecules, revealing NSCLC signaling pathways related to underexpressed and overexpressed transcripts. The genes targeted by these transcripts were correlated with overall survival. Conclusions: miRNAs and some of their target genes could play essential roles in investigating the mechanisms involved in NSCLC evolution and provide opportunities to identify potential therapeutic targets.

Next-Generation Sequencing in Lung Cancer Patients: A Comparative Approach in NSCLC and SCLC Mutational Landscapes.

Background: Lung cancer remains one of the most diagnosed malignancies, being the second most diagnosed cancer, while still being the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Late diagnosis remains a problem, alongside the high mutational burden encountered in lung cancer. Methods: We assessed the genetic profile of cancer genes in lung cancer using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets for mutations and validated the results in a separate cohort of 32 lung cancer patients using tumor tissue and whole blood samples for next-generation sequencing (NGS) experiments. Another separate cohort of 32 patients was analyzed to validate some of the molecular alterations depicted in the NGS experiment. Results: In the TCGA analysis, we identified the most commonly mutated genes in each lung cancer dataset, with differences among the three histotypes analyzed. NGS analysis revealed TP53, CSF1R, PIK3CA, FLT3, ERBB4, and KDR as being the genes most frequently mutated. We validated the c.1621A>C mutation in KIT. The correlation analysis indicated negative correlation between adenocarcinoma and altered PIK3CA (r = −0.50918; p = 0.0029). TCGA survival analysis indicated that NRAS and IDH2 (LUAD), STK11 and TP53 (LUSC), and T53 (SCLC) alterations are correlated with the survival of patients. Conclusions: The study revealed differences in the mutational landscape of lung cancer histotypes.

Cryobiopsy in Lung Cancer Diagnosis-A Literature Review.

Optimizing the diagnosis of lung cancer represents a challenge, as well as a necessity, for improving the low survival of these patients. Flexible bronchoscopy with forceps biopsy is one of the key diagnostic procedures used for lung tumors. The small sample size and crush artifacts are several factors that can often limit access to a complete diagnosis, therefore leading to the need of repeating the bronchoscopy procedure or other invasive diagnostic methods. The bronchoscopic cryobiopsy is a recent technique that proved its utility in the diagnosis of both endobronchial and peripheral lung tumors. In comparison with conventional forceps biopsy, studies report a higher diagnostic yield and a superior quality of the collected samples for both the histopathological and the molecular diagnosis of lung cancer. This method shows promising results in sampling lung tissue, alone, or in conjunction with fluoroscopy or radial endobronchial ultrasound (r-EBUS). With a good safety and cost-benefit profile, this novel method has the potential to improve the diagnosis, and therefore the management of lung cancer patients. The objective of this narrative review is to provide a comprehensive review of the recent data regarding the advantages of cryobiopsy and r-EBUS in lung cancer diagnosis.

Noncoding RNAs and Liquid Biopsy in Lung Cancer: A Literature Review.

Lung cancer represents a genetically heterogeneous disease with low survival rates. Recent data have evidenced key roles of noncoding RNAs in lung cancer initiation and progression. These functional RNA molecules that can act as both oncogenes and tumor suppressors may become future biomarkers and more efficient therapeutic targets. In the precision medicine era, circulating nucleic acids have the potential to reshape the management and prognosis of cancer patients. Detecting genomic alterations and level variations of circulating nucleic acids in liquid biopsy samples represents a noninvasive method for portraying tumor burden. Research is currently trying to validate the potential role of liquid biopsy in lung cancer screening, prognosis, monitoring of disease progression, and treatment response. However, this method requires complex detection assays, and implementation of plasma genotyping in clinical practice continues to be hindered by discrepancies that arise when compared to tissue genotyping. Understanding the genomic landscape of lung cancer is essential in order to provide useful and innovative research in the age of patient-tailored therapy. In this landscape, the noncoding RNAs play a crucial role due to their target genes that dramatically influence the tumor microenvironment and the response to therapy. This article addresses present and future possible roles of liquid biopsy in lung cancer. It also discusses how the complex role of noncoding RNAs in lung tumorigenesis could influence the management of this pathology.