Investigation of MicroRNA-30d-5p Expression and SOCS3 Levels in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Background/Aim: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for most lung cancer cases and has high mortality, especially in advanced stages. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and immunoregulatory genes such as suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) play critical roles in cancer progression and immune evasion. miR-30d-5p is known to act as a tumor suppressor by down-regulating oncogenic pathways, while SOCS3 modulates immune responses and tumor microenvironment interactions. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical relevance of circulating miR-30d-5p and serum SOCS3 protein levels in patients with NSCLC versus healthy controls and to assess their potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Materials and Methods: Serum samples were collected from 35 patients with NSCLC and 26 healthy individuals. miR-30d-5p expression was measured using RT-qPCR, and SOCS3 protein levels were determined using ELISA. Statistical comparisons were performed, and diagnostic performance was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. The correlation between SOCS3 and miR-30d-5p was assessed with Spearman’s rank test. Results: SOCS3 levels were significantly elevated in patients with NSCLC (120.84±117.62 pg/ml) compared to controls (16.88±11.91 pg/ml, p<0.0001). Contrarily, miR-30d-5p expression was significantly decreased (fold change: 0.24, p<0.002). A moderate negative correlation was observed between SOCS3 and miR-30d-5p levels (ρ=-0.439, p=0.025). ROC analysis displays good diagnostic accuracy for both SOCS3 [area under curve (AUC)=0.821] and miR-30d-5p (AUC=0.878). SOCS3 levels increased significantly with clinical stage. Conclusion: Increased SOCS3 and decreased miR-30d-5p expression were observed in patients with NSCLC, indicating their involvement in tumor progression and immune disruption. The inverse correlation between these biomarkers suggests a regulatory interaction that may influence the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. These findings highlight the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of targeting the miR-30d-5p/SOCS3 axis in NSCLC.