Extracellular vesicle‑packaged
microRNAs (
miRNAs) are a class of circulating
miRNAs located in the plasma that are packaged into extracellular vesicles. The present study examined the expression profiles of extracellular vesicles and tissue
miRNAs with the aim of investigating the
miRNA signatures in early‑stage
breast cancer. The present study identified and compared the extracellular vesicle‑packaged
miRNA expression signature and tissue
miRNA expression signature from healthy individuals (n=10) and patients with early‑stage
breast cancer (n=12). A total of five
miRNAs, including miRNA‑375, miRNA‑24‑2‑5p, miRNA‑548b‑5p, miRNA‑655‑3P and miRNA‑376b‑5p, were synchronized in extracellular vesicles and tissues of the
breast cancer group when compared with the healthy group. The highest area under the curve (AUC) for a single
miRNA was achieved with miRNA‑548b‑5p [AUC=0.785; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.585‑0.984; P=0.022]. The highest overall AUC was achieved by the combination of miRNA‑375, miRNA‑655‑3p, miRNA‑548b‑5p and miRNA‑24‑2‑5p (AUC=0.808; 95% CI=0.629‑0.986; P=0.013). The Kaplan‑Meier curves and log test analysis results of these five
miRNAs, especially those for miRNA‑548b‑5p, were partly consistent with the hypothesis. Two
miRNAs (miRNA‑548b‑5p and miRNA‑376b‑5p) were positively associated with patient survival, while two
miRNAs (miRNA‑375 and miRNA‑24‑2‑5p) were negatively associated with patient survival. The present study provided a set of plasma extracellular vesicle‑packaged miRNA‑based
biomarkers for the diagnosis of early‑stage
breast cancer.