Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may function as suppressors or promoters of tumor metastasis according to their messenger RNA targets. Previous studies have suggested that miR-9 and miR-151-5p are associated with metastasis in breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, respectively. We aimed to further establish the potential roles of miR-9 and miR-151-5p in tumor invasion and metastasis and investigate their use as biomarkers.
Methods: We used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to measure differences in miR-9 and miR-151-5p expression between primary breast tumors and their lymph-node metastases in 194 paired tumor samples from 97 patients. We also correlated expression levels with histologic data to investigate their utility as biomarkers.
Results: There were no significant differences in miR-9 expression between the primary tumors and lymph nodes; however, miR-151-5p expression was significantly lower in the lymph-node metastases than in their corresponding tumors (p < 0.05). miR-9 levels were elevated in primary breast tumors from patients diagnosed with higher-grade tumors (p < 0.05); however, no differences were observed in miR-151-5p levels between different grades of tumor. Interestingly, miR-9 levels were elevated in invasive lobular carcinomas (ILC) compared with invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC; p < 0.01).
Conclusions: In aggregate, these data suggest that miR-151-5p upregulation may suppress metastasis in primary breast tumors. Both miRNAs may serve as useful biomarkers in future clinical trials in breast cancer.