Cancer of the prostate is now recognized as one of the most important medical problems facing the male population.
To date, countless efforts have been made to develop prostate cancer biomarkers that can accurately identify men with prostate cancer
at an early stage, and those who would benefit from early therapeutic intervention.
Recently identified microRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs, and some of their innate properties make them highly attractive
as potential biomarkers. miRNAs can be readily detected in small volume samples using specific and sensitive quantitative real-time
PCR; they have been isolated from most body fluids, including serum, plasma, urine, saliva, breast milk, tears and semen and are
known to circulate in a highly stable, cell-free form. To date, an association between PCa and several miRNAs has already been
tentatively established. However, their use is limited by conflicting data between studies due to lack of standardization in methodology
and the lack of suitable reference genes for normalization. Therefore no miR-based diagnostic test has yet been approved for the early
detection of prostate cancer.
We postulated that a blood-based miRNA signature derived from rigorous standardization of methods and patients could be pursued to develop new diagnostic/prognostic tools for prostate cancer patients.
Therefore we proposed with the current study to identify a class of differentially expressed miRNAs in prostate cancer patients vs.
normal control.
Successful completion of the proposed study will provide new tools for diagnosis, assessment of disease prognosis, and prediction to
treatments response in prostate cancer.
PCa is the most common non-cutaneous malignancy among men and the second most common cause of cancer mortality. Despite the prevalence of PCa, there are no specific and accurate diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers to differentiate tumor aggressiveness. Although PSA is used as a routine screening tool for PCa, up to 11% of men with a PSA
Although overtreatment and overdiagnosis may be reduced by improved risk stratification, many urologists and patients are reluctant to monitor their cancer on active surveillance due to concerns for delaying treatment or potentially missing treatment of aggressive cancer during a window of cure.
Detection of molecular signatures that are indicative of molecular processes related to aggressive forms of PCa may allow biological insight into differentiating aggressive from indolent PCa. miRs are critical gene regulatory elements that are present in stable forms in serum and have emerged as potential noninvasive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. Therefore, serum miRs may potentially serve as noninvasive biomarkers to identify molecular signatures specific to patients with a higher risk of developing aggressive forms of PCa relative to those with indolent PCa.