Competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) have gained attention in
cancer research owing to their involvement in
microRNA-mediated gene regulation. Previous studies have identified
ceRNA networks of individual
cancers. Nevertheless, none of these studies has investigated different
cancer stages. We identify stage-specific ceRNAs in
breast cancer using the
cancer genome atlas data. Moreover, we investigate the molecular functions and prognostic ability of ceRNAs involved in stage I-IV networks. We identified differentially expressed candidate ceRNAs using edgeR and limma R packages. A three-step analysis was used to identify statistically significant ceRNAs of each stage. Survival analysis and functional enrichment analysis were conducted to identify molecular functions and prognostic ability. We found five genes and one
long non-coding RNA unique to the stage IV
ceRNA network. These genes have been described in previous
breast cancer studies. Genes acted as ceRNAs are enriched in
cancer-associated pathways. Two, three, and three
microRNAs from stages I, II, and III were prognostic from the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Our results reveal a set of unique ceRNAs in metastatic
breast cancer. Further experimental work is required to evaluate their role in
metastasis. Moreover, identifying stage-specific ceRNAs will improve the understanding of personalised
therapeutics in
breast cancer.