MicroRNA-146a affects the chemotherapeutic sensitivity and prognosis of advanced gastric cancer through the regulation of LIN52

The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the expression of microRNA-146a (miR-146a) and its target gene, LIN52, in advanced gastric cancer, and determine their potential effects on chemotherapeutic sensitivity and prognosis. Total RNA was extracted from 93 tissue samples of advanced gastric cancer and corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues to quantify the relative expression levels of miR-146a using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The expression of LIN52 was detected in tumors and normal tissues using immunohistochemical analysis. Correlation analysis was performed to assess the correlation between the expression of miR-146a and LIN52 and clinicopathological parameters of gastric cancer, including clinical diagnostic specificity, clinical tumor-necrosis-metastasis staging, lymph node metastasis, differentiation grade, chemotherapeutic sensitivity and prognosis. The expression of miR-146a in advanced gastric cancer tissues was lower, compared with that in the adjacent non-tumor tissues, and was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Gastric cancer tissues with a low expression level of miR146a exhibited an increased expression level of LIN52 (P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve regression analysis showed that miR-146a had 98% sensitivity in distinguishing gastric cancer tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. A high expression of miR-146a in gastric cancer was associated with improved treatment efficacy in patients. The chemotherapeutic sensitivity of patients with tumors expressing high levels of miR-146a was significantly higher, compared with that of patients with tumors expressing low levels of miR-146a (P<0.05). The expression of miR-146a was low in advanced gastric cancer tissues. As a tumor suppressor gene in advanced gastric cancer, miR-146a had a significant negative correlation with LIN52. High expression levels of miR-146a in advanced gastric cancer tissue may be associated with improved treatment efficacy of chemotherapy, suggesting that miR-146a may be a molecular marker for the diagnosis, prediction of treatment efficacy and prognosis of advanced gastric cancer.