MicroRNA Signatures in the Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Scenario: Ready for the Game Changer?

Abstract

Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) represents a minor subgroup of malignancies arising in the urothelium of the renal pelvis or ureter. The estimated annual incidence is around 2 cases per 100,000 people, with a mean age at diagnosis of 73 years. UTUC is more frequently diagnosed in an invasive or metastatic stage. However, even though the incidence of UTUC is not high, UTUC tends to be aggressive and rapidly progressing with a poor prognosis in some patients. A significant challenge in UTUC is ensuring accurate and timely diagnosis, which is complicated by the non-specific nature of symptoms seen at the onset of disease. Moreover, there is a lack of biomarkers capable of identifying the early presence of the malignancy and guide-tailored medical treatment. However, the growing understanding of the molecular biology underlying UTUC has led to the discovery of promising new biomarkers. Among these biomarkers, there is a class of small non-coding RNA biomarkers known as microRNAs (miRNAs) that are particularly promising. In this review, we will analyze the main characteristics of UTUC and focus on microRNAs as possible novel tools that could enter clinical practice in order to optimize the current diagnostic and prognostic algorithm.

The Clinical and Molecular Features in the VHL Renal Cancers; Close or Distant Relatives with Sporadic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma?

“…In the molecular scenario, non-coding RNAs represent one of the most promising classes of predictive biomarkers in several types of malignancies and chronic conditions [ 131 , 132 ]. Non-coding RNAs are regulatory RNAs with no or little protein-coding potential [ 133 ]. However, in the last decade, several studies have highlighted their importance in the modulation of cell physiology and also cellular functions [ 134 ].…”