Expression profile of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) in penile cancer

The role of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) has been investigated in the carcinogenesis of several malignancies; however, their function in penile cancer (PeCa) has not been reported. In this context, the study aimed to identify the expression profile of snoRNAs in the clinicopathological features of PeCa.

This cross-sectional observational study examined the expression profile of snoRNAs in eight patients diagnosed with PeCa and four patients with phimosis (used as controls) using the GeneChip Array, correlating it with clinicopathological characteristics. Human papillomavirus (HPV) identification was performed using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In silico analysis was conducted to characterize snoRNAs and assess their influence on the therapeutic approach for tumor types in other regions.

Two hundred and seventy snoRNAs showed differential expression between the studied groups, with the majority being overexpressed. In the Venn diagram, SNORD78 and SNORD46 had their expression identified exclusively in samples with perineural invasion and lymph node metastasis, respectively. SNORD13F was the least expressed (fold change =-10.41), while SNORD43 was the most overexpressed (fold change =9.79). In silico analysis revealed that SNORA70 and SNORA38 were associated with a reduced therapeutic response to commonly used antineoplastic drugs in PeCa.

Despite the need to confirm the expression of these molecules in a larger number of samples and using another methodology, we suggest that these snoRNAs may serve as diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment biomarkers in PeCa.