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Updated: Dec 16, 2025
Detection of a Circulating MicroRNA Custom Panel in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Published on: March 14, 2019
Identification of Let-7f-5p as a novel biomarker of recurrence in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
Kevin Shee1, John D Seigne1, Margaret R Karagas1
1Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Background:
Among patients diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), 30% to 70% experience recurrences within 6 to 12 years of diagnosis. The need to screen for these events every 3 to 6 months and ultimately annually by cystoscopy makes bladder cancer one of the most expensive malignancies to manage.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to identify reproducible prognostic microRNAs in resected non-muscle invasive bladder tumor tissue that are predictive of the recurrent tumor phenotype as potential biomarkers and molecular therapeutic targets.
Methods:
Two independent cohorts of NMIBC patients were analyzed using a biomarker discovery and validation approach, respectively.
Results:
miRNA Let-7f-5p showed the strongest association with recurrence across both cohorts. Let-7f-5p levels in urine and plasma were both found to be significantly correlated with levels in tumor tissue. We assessed the therapeutic potential of targeting Lin28, a negative regulator of Let-7f-5p, with small-molecule inhibitor C1632. Lin28 inhibition significantly increased levels of Let-7f-5p expression and led to significant inhibition of viability and migration of HTB-2 cells.
Conclusions:
We have identified Let-7f-5p as a miRNA biomarker of recurrence in NMIBC tumors. We further demonstrate that targeting Lin28, a negative regulator of Let-7f-5p, represents a novel potential therapeutic opportunity in NMIBC.
