BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death, and adenocarcinoma is the most common histologic subtype. MicroRNA is a small non-coding RNA that inhibits multiple target gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and is commonly dysregulated in malignant tumors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the expression of microRNA-374a (miR-374a) in lung adenocarcinoma and correlate its expression with various clinicopathological characteristics.METHODS: The expression level of miR-374a was measured in 111 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded lung adenocarcinoma tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. The correlation between miR-374a expression and clinicopathological parameters, including clinical outcome, was further analyzed.RESULTS: High miR-374 expression was correlated with advanced pT category (chi-square test, p=.004) and pleural invasion (chi-square test, p=.034). Survival analysis revealed that patients with high miR-374a expression had significantly shorter disease-free survival relative to those with low miR-374a expression (log-rank test, p=.032).CONCLUSIONS: miR-374a expression may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for predicting recurrence in early stage lung adenocarcinoma after curative surgery.
Adenocarcinoma ; Disease-Free Survival ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung ; MicroRNAs ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recurrence ; RNA, Small Untranslated

Purpose: Mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET) is a proto-oncogene that encodes a heterodimerictransmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase for the hepatocyte growth factor. Aberrant METsignaling has been described in several solid tumors—especially non-small cell lung cancer—and is associated with tumor progression and adverse prognosis. As MET is a potentialtherapeutic target, information regarding its prevalence and clinicopathological relevanceis crucial. Materials and Methods: We investigated MET expression and gene amplification in 113 gallbladder cancers usingtissue microarray. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate MET overexpression, andsilver/fluorescence in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to assess gene copy number. Results: MET overexpression was found in 37 cases of gallbladder carcinoma (39.8%), and geneamplification was present in 17 cases (18.3%). MET protein expression did not correlatewith MET amplification. MET amplification was significantly associated with aggressive clinicopathologicalfeatures, including high histological grade, advanced pT category, lymphnode metastasis, and advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. There was nosignificant correlation between any clinicopathological factors and MET overexpression. Nodifference in survival was found with respect to MET overexpression and amplification status. Conclusion Our data suggested that MET might be a potential therapeutic target for targeted therapyin gallbladder cancer, because MET amplification was found in a subset of tumors associatedwith adverse prognostic factors. Detection of MET amplification by ISH might be a usefulpredictive biomarker test for anti-MET therapy.