Circulating U2 small nuclear RNA fragments as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in lung cancer patients

Purpose Lung cancer accounts for one in five cancer deaths. Broad screening strategies for high-risk populations are unavailable, and the validation of biomarkers for early cancer detection remains a prime interest. Therefore, we investigated the value of circulating U2 small nuclear RNA fragments (RNU2-1f) as a biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis estimation and treatment monitoring in a large lung cancer cohort.