The early detection, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer are the key points to reduce mortality and improve the prognosis. Detecting tumor markers in blood is a minimally-invasive, cost-effective, easy to administer and approachable test. A microsatellite consists of a tract of tenderly repeated DNA motifs that range in length from two to five nucleotides. Microsatellite alterations (MA) have been described as two types: loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite instability (MSI). MicroRNA (miRNA) is a noncoding RNA and protein involved in regulating gene expression in the transcription level. In recent years, some miRNA markers and microsatellite alterations show significant tumor association, tissue specific and stability. Therefore, we write this review to discuss the microsatellite alterations and microRNA in blood of lung cancer.
