The Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs and MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer: Implications for Early Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis

Baran, Taha Yasin; Yılmaz, Sevda; Er Urgancı, Buket; Şimşek, Selda; Arman Karakaya, Yeliz; Erdem, Ergün

doi:10.31557/APJCP.2026.27.10.3777

The Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs and MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer: Implications for Early Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

¹ Gölhisar State Hospital, General Surgery Department, Burdur, Turkiye.

² Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, General Surgery Department, Denizli, Turkiye.

³ Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, Medical Biology Department, Denizli, Turkiye.

⁴ Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, Pathology Department, Denizli, Turkiye.

⁵ Sağlık Hospital, General Surgery Department, Denizli, Turkiye.

10.31557/APJCP.2026.27.10.3777

Abstract

Background: The presence of axillary metastases is a critical factor for the diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of detecting axillary metastases using preoperative serum samples as a non-invasive alternative to tissue samples, focusing on the expression profiles of BLACAT1, miR-150, miR-503, BCL-2, and CCR-2. Methods: The study enrolled 61 patients with primary breast cancer who underwent surgical intervention without neoadjuvant treatment. Serum expression levels of the target molecules were analyzed by RT-qPCR and compared between patients with benign and malignant sentinel lymph nodes (SLN), as well as across different molecular subtypes. Results: Serum BLACAT1 expression was significantly upregulated (2.37-fold, p=0.002) in patients with malignant SLNs compared to those with benign SLNs. miR-150 and miR-503 showed a trend of downregulation in the malignant group (p=0.058 and p=0.089, respectively). In terms of molecular classification, CCR2 was significantly upregulated in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) (p=0.001), while miR-503 was significantly upregulated in HER2+ tumors (p=0.010). Conclusions: Circulating BLACAT1 demonstrated significant potential as a non-invasive biomarker for the detection of axillary metastases. While miR-150 and miR-503 showed distinct differential expression patterns among molecular subtypes, their diagnostic value for axillary metastasis requires validation in larger cohorts. These findings suggest that serum-based molecular profiling could support standard histopathological methods in breast cancer management.

Keywords