Current status on microRNAs as biomarkers for ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy in the Western world, and has a very poor prognosis, often due to late diagnosis and emergence of chemotherapy resistance. Therefore, there is an essential need for new diagnostic and prognostic markers that can improve and initiate more personalized treatment, eventually improving survival of the patients. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules, that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Several studies have within the last decade shown that microRNAs are deregulated in OC and have potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for OC. Recently studies have also focused on microRNAs as predictors of chemotherapy responses and their potential as therapeutic targets. However, many of the published studies are difficult to interpret as a whole due to various methods of analysis. Future focus should be aimed at developing a general standardized analytical method, which can limit differences between studies thus allowing easier comparison across them. In addition, validation of studies in independent series that ideally should be histotype-specific is essential to determine the clinical role of microRNAs in different types of OC. In this review we summarize the current knowledge of microRNAs as potential biomarkers for OC, with focus on their clinical relevance.