Circulating microRNAs predict biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer patients

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as promising biomarkers for prostate cancer. Here, we investigated the potential of these molecules to assist in prognosis and treatment decision-making.

MicroRNAs in the serum of patients who had experienced rapid biochemical recurrence (BCR) (n=8) or no recurrence (n=8) following radical prostatectomy (RP) were profiled using high-throughput qRT-PCR. Recurrence-associated miRNAs were subsequently quantitated by qRT-PCR in a validation cohort comprised of 70 patients with Gleason 7 cancers treated by RP, 31 of whom had undergone disease progression following surgery. The expression of recurrence-associated miRNAs was also examined in tumour tissue cohorts.

Three miRNAs - miR-141, miR-146b-3p and miR-194 - were elevated in patients who subsequently experienced BCR in the screening study. MiR-146b-3p and miR-194 were also associated with disease progression in the validation cohort, as determined by log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards regression. Multivariate analysis revealed that miR-146b-3p possessed prognostic information beyond standard clinicopathological parameters. Analysis of tissue cohorts revealed that miR-194 was robustly expressed in the prostate, elevated in metastases, and its expression in primary tumours was associated with a poor prognosis.

Our study suggests that circulating miRNAs, measured at the time of RP, could be combined with current prognostic tools to predict future disease progression in men with intermediate risk prostate cancers.