MicroRNA - biomarker of aggressiveness of choroidal melanoma

Abstract

Almost 50 % of microRNAs (a family of small noncoding RNAs) are associated with the regions of the genome responsible for the development of tumors. These microRNAs play the role of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. In 2008, there were reports of the possibility of using microRNA as a predictive biomarker of the metastatic risk of uveal melanoma. Initially, microRNAs were investigated in melanoma samples; later, the possibility of using blood plasma for these purposes was shown.Purpose: to study the character of expression of miRNA- 146a, miRNA-155, miRNA-223, miRNA-126, miRNA-27b in the blood plasma of patients with choroidal melanoma (CM) and determine their significance in predicting possible hematogenous metastases. Material and methods. The study included 84 patients with CM aged 35–86 (ave 63.4 ± 1.2 yrs). The thickness of the CM varied in the range of 0.77–17.19 mm (ave 7.21 ± 0.43 mm). The control group consisted of 28 volunteers aged 45-78 (62.90 ± 1.42 yrs). MicroRNA expression levels were determined by quantitative PCR.Results. An increase in the expression level of miRNA-155, miRNA-146a, miRNA-126, miRNA-223, and miRNA-27b in blood plasma in all 84 patients with CM was revealed.Conclusion. The study of miRNA levels (miRNA-146, miRNA-155, miRNA-223, miRNA-126 and miRNA-27b) in the blood plasma of patients with CM can be used both to confirm the diagnosis of CM in difficult diagnostic cases and to determine the aggressiveness of the course tumor and prediction of metastasis.