Secreted miR-210-3p as non-invasive biomarker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
The most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is clear cell RCC (ccRCC).
It accounts for 70-80% of all renal malignancies representing the third most common
urological cancer after prostate and bladder cancer. The identification of non-invasive
biomarkers for the diagnosis and responsiveness to therapy of ccRCC may represent
a relevant step-forward in ccRCC management. The aim of this study is to evaluate
whether specific miRNAs deregulated in ccRCC tissues present altered levels also
in urine specimens. To this end we first assessed that miR-21-5p, miR-210-3p and
miR-221-3p resulted upregulated in ccRCC fresh frozen tissues compared to matched
normal counterparts. Next, we evidenced that miR-210-3p resulted significantly upregulated
in 38 urine specimens collected from two independent cohorts of ccRCC
patients at the time of surgery compared to healthy donors samples. Of note, miR-
210-3p levels resulted significantly reduced in follow-up samples. These results point
to miR-210-3p as a potential non-invasive biomarker useful not only for diagnosis
but also for the assessment of complete resection or response to treatment in ccRCC
management.