REVIEW article
Oncol. Rev.
Sec. Oncology Reviews: Reviews
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in Biomarker-Based Lung Cancer ScreeningView all 17 articles
A novel approach in the identification of microRNAs in malignant pleural effusion for lung cancer diagnosis
Provisionally accepted
- National Institute of Respiratory Diseases-Mexico (INER), Mexico City, Mexico
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Pleural effusion, an atypical accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, has been identified as a potential indicator of several diseases, including lung cancer. The presence of biomarkers in malignant pleural effusion has been a subject of investigation; however, the expression of microRNAs has received limited attention. The objective of this study is to present a narrative review of the current scientific literature regarding the presence of microRNAs in malignant pleural effusion and their association as new biomarkers in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Method: A comprehensive search was conducted using the databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO to identify all original scientific articles published through April 30, 2025. The following terms were utilized in the search: "MicroRNA AND pleural effusion AND lung cancer", "microRNA AND pleural effusion AND lung adenocarcinoma", "microRNA AND pleural effusion AND lung squamous cell carcinoma", "miRNA AND pleural effusion", miRNA AND pleural effusion AND lung cancer", "miRNA AND pleural effusion AND lung adenocarcinoma", "miRNA AND pleural effusion AND lung squamous cell carcinoma". Results: A total of 17 studies were identified that distinguished between 106 microRNAs. These studies demonstrated the most significant overexpression and downexpression in lung cancer patients compared to patients without malignancy. However, eight of these studies distinguished between 17 microRNAs expressions and exhibited elevated area under the curve values, sensitivity, and specificity for the involvement in several hallmarks of lung cancer. Conclusions: The regulatory mechanisms governing microRNAs in malignant pleural effusion are intricate and involve multiple genes that play pivotal roles in several cancer mechanisms. These mechanisms encompass but are not limited to, processes such as cell growth, migration, drug resistance, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, angiogenesis, and apoptosis.
Keywords: Cancer biomarkers, Lung Adenocarcinoma, lungsquamous cell carcinoma, malignant pleural effusion, MicroRNAs
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 22 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 VALENCIA, RAMIREZ, PALACIOS, LOAEZA and SIERRA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
JESÚS VALENCIA
GUSTAVO RAMIREZ
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