Cell-free microRNAs as Non-invasive Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PaC) is one of the most lethal cancers, with an increasing global incidence rate. Unfavorable prognosis largely results from associated difficulties in early diagnosis and the absence of prognostic and predictive biomarkers that would enable an individualized therapeutic approach. In fact, PaC prognosis has not improved for years, even though much efforts and resources have been devoted to PaC research, and the multimodal management of PaC patients has been used in clinical practice. It is thus imperative to develop optimal biomarkers, which would increase diagnostic precision and improve the post-diagnostic management of PaC patients. Current trends in biomarker research envisage the unique opportunity of cell-free microRNAs (miRNAs) present in circulation to become a convenient, non-invasive tool for accurate diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of response to treatment. This review analyzes studies focused on cell-free miRNAs in PaC. The studies provide solid evidence that miRNAs are detectable in serum, blood plasma, saliva, urine, and stool, and that they present easy-to-acquire biomarkers with strong diagnostic, prognostic and predictive potential.

Recent Insights into Therapy Resistance in Osteosarcoma

“…MiRNAs are linked to tumor progression, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis resistance, drug resistance, stem cell survival, and metastasis in multiple cancer types [ 56 ]. Several studies have investigated the role of circulating miRNA signatures as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for multiple cancers [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ].…”

Application of Mass Spectrometry in Pancreatic Cancer Translational Research

“…Urine testing is one of the easiest, fastest, and most painless screening methods. Previous studies have suggested that the change of microRNA profile in urine is useful for the diagnosis of PC (76). Arasaradnam et al verified that the variation in urinary VOC profile is a valuable biological fluid, which can distinguish PDAC patients from normal people (AUC = 0.92).…”

“…Urine testing is one of the easiest, fastest, and most painless screening methods. Previous studies have suggested that the change of microRNA profile in urine is useful for the diagnosis of PC ( 76 ). Arasaradnam et al.…”

circEPS15 Overexpression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Modulates Tumor Invasion and Migration

“…However, whether circRNA plays a biological role in HCC and its underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. miRNAs in circulation can be used as potential biomarkers for pancreatic cancer, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma [23,24]. However, although a large number of clinical studies have been conducted to HBV-related HCC and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC [25,26], the instability of miRNAs and di culty in reproducing results under different experimental conditions make miRNAs a poor biomarker for clinical practice.…”