miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)

Breast cancer (BC), the most prevalent and fatal female neoplasm worldwide, including in Malaysia, is a heterogeneous disease classified into subtypes based on hormone receptor status, including luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched and triple-negative. The heterogeneity of BC poses challenges for acc...

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Main Authors: Norlizawati Abdul Hamed, Xiao Ning Zhu, Bann Siang Yeo, Wen Xuan Lee, Geok Chin Tan, Yoke Kqueen Cheah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Biome Scientia 2025-05-01
Series:Life Sciences, Medicine and Biomedicine
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Online Access:https://biomescientia.com/index.php/lsmb/article/view/171
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author Norlizawati Abdul Hamed
Xiao Ning Zhu
Bann Siang Yeo
Wen Xuan Lee
Geok Chin Tan
Yoke Kqueen Cheah
author_facet Norlizawati Abdul Hamed
Xiao Ning Zhu
Bann Siang Yeo
Wen Xuan Lee
Geok Chin Tan
Yoke Kqueen Cheah
author_sort Norlizawati Abdul Hamed
collection DOAJ
description Breast cancer (BC), the most prevalent and fatal female neoplasm worldwide, including in Malaysia, is a heterogeneous disease classified into subtypes based on hormone receptor status, including luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched and triple-negative. The heterogeneity of BC poses challenges for accurate diagnosis and treatment, necessitating novel biomarkers to aid cancer screening, diagnosis and therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which regulate gene expression, are often dysregulated in cancer. Specifically, miR-125b has been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and chemoresistance, supporting its potential as a biomarker for BC, particularly as a predictive biomarker. This study aims to investigate the associations between miR-125b expression patterns in different BC subtypes and demographic profiles at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HCTM). miR-125b expression was analysed in 18 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) BC tissue samples and two control tissues by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Among 241 BC cases reported at HCTM in 2023, patients were predominantly Malay, aged 50 and above, with luminal A being the most common subtype, followed by triple-negative, luminal B and HER2-enriched. miR-125b expression was consistently downregulated in BC tissues compared to controls, although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.263). Trends of downregulation were observed across all subtypes and demographic groups, with no significant differences by age (p = 1.000), ethnicity (p = 0.546) or BC subtypes (p = 0.701). The consistent downregulation of miR-125b aligns with previous studies and highlights its biomarker potential for BC diagnosis and prognosis. Further research with a larger cohort is needed to validate these findings and explore the potential of miR-125b as a diagnostic, prognostic or predictive biomarker in BC.
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spelling doaj-art-9e9ada3ef3af4f50b26f103492509c132025-08-20T02:15:20ZengBiome ScientiaLife Sciences, Medicine and Biomedicine2600-72072025-05-019110.28916/lsmb.9.1.2025.171149miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)Norlizawati Abdul Hamed0Xiao Ning Zhu1Bann Siang Yeo2Wen Xuan Lee3Geok Chin Tan4Yoke Kqueen Cheah5Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.Department of Hepatobiliary, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, 646000 Luzhou, Sichuan, China.Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.Breast cancer (BC), the most prevalent and fatal female neoplasm worldwide, including in Malaysia, is a heterogeneous disease classified into subtypes based on hormone receptor status, including luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched and triple-negative. The heterogeneity of BC poses challenges for accurate diagnosis and treatment, necessitating novel biomarkers to aid cancer screening, diagnosis and therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which regulate gene expression, are often dysregulated in cancer. Specifically, miR-125b has been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and chemoresistance, supporting its potential as a biomarker for BC, particularly as a predictive biomarker. This study aims to investigate the associations between miR-125b expression patterns in different BC subtypes and demographic profiles at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HCTM). miR-125b expression was analysed in 18 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) BC tissue samples and two control tissues by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Among 241 BC cases reported at HCTM in 2023, patients were predominantly Malay, aged 50 and above, with luminal A being the most common subtype, followed by triple-negative, luminal B and HER2-enriched. miR-125b expression was consistently downregulated in BC tissues compared to controls, although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.263). Trends of downregulation were observed across all subtypes and demographic groups, with no significant differences by age (p = 1.000), ethnicity (p = 0.546) or BC subtypes (p = 0.701). The consistent downregulation of miR-125b aligns with previous studies and highlights its biomarker potential for BC diagnosis and prognosis. Further research with a larger cohort is needed to validate these findings and explore the potential of miR-125b as a diagnostic, prognostic or predictive biomarker in BC.https://biomescientia.com/index.php/lsmb/article/view/171breast cancermicrornamir-125bdemographicmalaysia
spellingShingle Norlizawati Abdul Hamed
Xiao Ning Zhu
Bann Siang Yeo
Wen Xuan Lee
Geok Chin Tan
Yoke Kqueen Cheah
miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)
Life Sciences, Medicine and Biomedicine
breast cancer
microrna
mir-125b
demographic
malaysia
title miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)
title_full miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)
title_fullStr miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)
title_full_unstemmed miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)
title_short miR-125b expression in breast cancer: Insights into subtypes and demographic factors at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM)
title_sort mir 125b expression in breast cancer insights into subtypes and demographic factors at hospital canselor tuanku muhriz hctm
topic breast cancer
microrna
mir-125b
demographic
malaysia
url https://biomescientia.com/index.php/lsmb/article/view/171
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