miRNA signature associated with R–CHOP refractoriness in patients diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Refractoriness remains as one of the challenges in patients with lymphoma under chemotherapy, and among biological regulators in cells driving this type of response are microRNAs (miRNAs). Different genes are constantly turned on or off according to the miRNAs expression profiles affecting the drug response in patients and their stability in serum and plasma makes them potential prognostic biomarkers in several diseases. Here we described a profile of miRNAs in plasma of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. miRNA expression arrays were carried using pre-treatment plasma samples of sixteen patients, followed by a comparison between the responder and the non-responders. After six cycles of R–CHOP treatment, twelve out of sixteen patients were clinically diagnosed with complete response while in four patients no clinical response was observed. Between these groups, a signature of fifteen differential expressed miRNAs was found. The circulating miRNAs in plasma of patients with no response were related to the drug resistance in other types of cancer, by targeting genes involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis, among other cell processes.