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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
MicroRNA Detection in Prostate Tumors by Quantitative Real-time PCR qPCR
Published on: May 16, 2012
MicroRNAs for detecting occult genitourinary cancer
Nuno Tiago Tavares1,2, João Lobo1,3,4, Aditya Bagrodia5,6
1Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP)/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto)/Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca (Porto.CCC).
Purpose Of Review:
Genitourinary (GU) malignancies are a real burden in global health worldwide. Each model has its own clinical challenges, and the early screening and/or detection of occult cancer in follow-up is transversal to all of them. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed as minimally invasive liquid biopsy cancer biomarkers, due to their stability and low degradation.
Recent Findings:
The different GU tumor models are in different stages concerning miRNAs as biomarkers for cancer detection. Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) already have a specific defined target, miR-371a-3p, that has shown high sensitivity and specificity in different clinical settings, and is now in final stages of preanalytical testing before entering the clinic. The other GU malignancies are in a different stage, with many liquid biopsy studies (both in urine and plasma/serum) being currently performed, but there is not an agreeable miRNA or set of miRNAs that is ready to follow the footsteps of miR-371a-3p in TGCTs.
Summary:
Further studies with proper molecular characterization of miRNA profiles of GU malignancies and standardization of sampling, biobanking and formal analysis may aid in the advance and choosing of specific target sets to be used for occult cancer detection.
