An ER-associated miRNA signature predicts prognosis in ER-positive breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer patients with positive estrogen receptor (ER) have a better prognosis. However, no prognostic miRNA signature was reported in the ER-positive breast cancer. The aim of the study was to identify and assess the prognostic significance of a miRNA signature in ER-positive breast cancer.


METHODS
Two cohorts from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset were used as training (n =596) and testing set (n =319). Differential expression profiling was identified in the training set. And the prognostic value of the miRNA signature was then assessed in the two cohorts.


RESULTS
A total of 14 miRNAs were observed to be associated with the status of ER by significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) in the training set. Patients were characterized as high score or low score group according to the calculated risk scores from each miRNA. And patients in high score group had worse overall survival compared with those in low score group both in the training and testing set.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study revealed a miRNA signature including 14 miRNAs associated with ER status which could act as a prognostic marker in ER-positive breast cancer.
Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China. ivorchou@yeah.net.
Xin
X
Zhou
Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Clinical Diabetes Centre of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China. cxiac@126.com.
Xiaping
X
Wang
Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China. ballacktt@126.com.
Zebo
Z
Huang
Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Jiangning Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China. xulei_7891@126.com.
Lei
L
Xu
Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China. zhuwei1983213@163.com.
Wei
W
Zhu
Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China. liu-ping@csco.org.cn.|Cancer Center of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China. liu-ping@csco.org.cn.
Ping
P
Liu
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen