46P - The role of microRNA-1246 in early detection of breast cancer: Findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs that influence gene expression, have shown promising potential as biomarkers for cancer detection due to their stability and detectability in bodily fluids. Specifically, microRNA-1246 (miR-1246) has been preliminarily suggested to be effective in early-stage breast cancer detection, warranting an exhaustive analysis to verify its reliability and applicability as a non-invasive diagnostic indicator. The study aims to determine the accuracy of miR-1246 as a biomarker for the early detection of breast cancer.

Methods

A comprehensive search of databases, including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, was conducted for studies published up to May 2023. Inclusion criteria were studies exploring the diagnostic efficacy of miR-1246 in early-stage breast cancer detection, with healthy individuals serving as a control group. Statistical analyses were performed using R software (version 4.0.3) with the mada package, which facilitated the pooling of sensitivity, specificity, false-positive rate estimates, diagnostic odds ratio, and both positive and negative Likelihood Ratios (LR), each with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI).

Results

Our meta-analysis consisted of 5 studies involving 3041 participants, with 1489 patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 1552 healthy controls. miR-1246 showed considerable diagnostic potential for early-stage breast cancer detection, exhibiting a sensitivity of 87.1% (95% CI: 76.9-93.2%, I2=78.6%) and a specificity of 89.4% (95% CI: 81.6-94.1%, I2=82%). The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 57.05 (95% CI: 21.91-148.54), and the false-positive rate was 10.6% (95% CI: 5.9-18.4%). Additionally, Likelihood Ratios (LR) indicated a positive LR of 8.23 (95% CI: 4.59-14.75) and a negative LR of 0.14 (95% CI: 0.08-0.27).

Conclusions

The study highlights the promising potential of miR-1246 as a non-invasive biomarker for early breast cancer detection, though the observed heterogeneity across studies underscores the need for further comprehensive research. If validated with further studies, the integration of miR-1246 into existing diagnostic methods could significantly enhance early detection and improve patient prognosis.

Editorial acknowledgement

Clinical trial identification

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.