{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T02:16:37Z","timestamp":1784168197116,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,6]],"date-time":"2021-12-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638748800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004569","name":"Ministry of Science and Higher Education","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["MN mb 627"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MN mb 627"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004569","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Early diagnosis may improve the prognosis. Methods: Using quantitative methylation-specific real-time PCR (qMSP-PCR), we assessed the methylation status of two genes (in two subsequent regions according to locations in their promoter sequences) related to carcinogenesis, DICER and DROSHA, in 101 plasma samples (obtained prior to the treatment) of lung cancer patients and 45 healthy volunteers. Results: The relative level of methylation of DROSHA was significantly lower (p = 0.012 for first and p &lt; 0.00001 for the second region) and DICER significantly higher (p = 0.029 for the first region) in cancer patients. The relative level of methylation of DROSHA was significantly (p = 0.037) higher in patients with early-stage NSCLC (IA-IIIA) and could discriminate them from healthy people with a sensitivity of 71% and specificity of 76% (AUC = 0.696, 95% CI: 0.545\u20130.847, p = 0.011) for the first region and with a sensitivity of 60% and specificity of 85% (AUC = 0.795, 95% CI: 0.689\u20130.901, p &lt; 0.0001) for the second region. Methylation analysis of the first region of the DICER enabled the distinction of NSCLC patients from healthy individuals with a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 60% (AUC = 0.651, 95% CI: 0.517\u20130.785, p = 0.027). The limitations of the study include its small sample size, preliminary nature, being an observational type of study, and the lack of functional experiments allowing for the explanation of the biologic backgrounds of the observed associations. Conclusion: The obtained results indicate that the assessment of DICER and DROSHA methylation status can potentially be used as a biomarker for the early detection of lung cancer.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers13236139","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,6]],"date-time":"2021-12-06T22:18:42Z","timestamp":1638829122000},"page":"6139","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Methylation of DROSHA and DICER as a Biomarker for the Detection of Lung Cancer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1271-2254","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Micha\u0142","family":"Szczyrek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumonology, Oncology and Allergology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Grenda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumonology, Oncology and Allergology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7236-5023","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Barbara","family":"Ku\u017anar-Kami\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pulmonology, Allergology and Respiratory Oncology, University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, 60-569 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pawe\u0142","family":"Krawczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumonology, Oncology and Allergology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marek","family":"Sawicki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Lublin, 20-954 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Halina","family":"Batura-Gabryel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pulmonology, Allergology and Respiratory Oncology, University of Medical Sciences in Poznan, 60-569 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rados\u0142aw","family":"Mlak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Physiology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-080 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2352-394X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aneta","family":"Szudy-Szczyrek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Haematooncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6513-1253","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomasz","family":"Krajka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Mathematics, Department of Production Computerisation and Robotisation, Lublin University of Technology, 20-618 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3506-4616","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrzej","family":"Krajka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Computer Science, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Janusz","family":"Milanowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pneumonology, Oncology and Allergology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.3322\/caac.21660","article-title":"Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries","volume":"71","author":"Sung","year":"2021","journal-title":"CA Cancer J. 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