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Updated: Nov 10, 2025
miRNA Expression Analyses in Prostate Cancer Clinical Tissues
Published on: September 8, 2015
MicroRNA-940 as a Potential Serum Biomarker for Prostate Cancer
Smrithi Rajendiran1, Sayantan Maji1, Ahmed Haddad2
1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States.
Abstract:
Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death despite an astoundingly high survival rate for localized tumors. Though prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, performed in conjunction with digital rectal examinations, is reasonably accurate, there are major caveats requiring a thorough assessment of risks and benefits prior to conducting the test. MicroRNAs, a class of small non-coding RNAs, are stable molecules that can be detected in circulation by non-invasive methods and have gained importance in cancer prognosis and diagnosis in the recent years. Here, we investigate circulating miR-940, a miRNA known to play a role in prostate cancer progression, in both cell culture supernatants as well as patient serum and urine samples to determine the utility of miR-940 as a new molecular marker for prostate cancer detection. We found that miR-940 was significantly higher in serum from cancer patients, specifically those with clinically significant tumors (GS ≥ 7). Analysis of receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated that miR-940 in combination with PSA had a higher area under curve value (AUC: 0.818) than the miR-940 alone (AUC: 0.75) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. This study provides promising results suggesting the use of miR-940 for prostate cancer diagnosis.
Insights
This study highlights microRNA-940 (miR-940) as a promising biomarker for prostate cancer detection. Elevated miR-940 levels in patient serum show potential for improved diagnosis, especially when combined with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Prostate cancer remains a significant cause of mortality despite high survival rates for localized disease.
- Current diagnostic methods like prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing have limitations requiring careful risk-benefit assessment.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as stable, non-invasive biomarkers for cancer prognosis and diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the diagnostic utility of circulating miR-940 as a novel molecular marker for prostate cancer.
- To assess miR-940 levels in cell culture supernatants, patient serum, and urine samples.
- To evaluate the combined diagnostic performance of miR-940 and PSA for prostate cancer detection.
Main Methods:
- Quantification of circulating miR-940 in serum and urine samples from prostate cancer patients and controls.
- Analysis of miR-940 expression in cell culture supernatants.
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the diagnostic accuracy of miR-940 alone and in combination with PSA.
Main Results:
- Circulating miR-940 levels were significantly elevated in the serum of prostate cancer patients, particularly those with clinically significant tumors (Gleason score ≥ 7).
- The combination of miR-940 and PSA demonstrated a higher area under the curve (AUC: 0.818) compared to miR-940 alone (AUC: 0.75) in diagnosing prostate cancer.
- miR-940 showed potential as a biomarker in both serum and urine samples.
Conclusions:
- Circulating miR-940 is a promising biomarker for the non-invasive diagnosis of prostate cancer.
- Combining miR-940 with PSA can enhance diagnostic accuracy, offering a potential improvement over current methods.
- Further validation is warranted to establish miR-940 as a routine diagnostic tool for prostate cancer.
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