Micrornas as biomarkers in the preventive diagnosis of prostate cancer

Abstract

MiRNAs are small non-coding molecules associated with the regulation of gene expression in humans and other organisms through mechanisms linked to various biological processes, such as differential expression in physiological and pathological conditions, including neoplastic, infectious, and immune diseases, emerging as biomarkers of interest in the area of oncology for the preventive diagnosis of prostate cancer, which can be detected in blood and tissue samples through non-invasive detection methods, such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), microarrays, next-generation sequencing, among others, and which allow improving early detection and risk stratification; however, their clinical application requires additional validation through complementary studies to establish their efficacy and specificity. A systematic review was carried out with the objective of analyzing miRNAs as biomarkers in the preventive diagnosis of prostate cancer, based on exploration in various databases and search equations, evaluated with the PRISMA scale. 77 articles were found, of which 14 were selected following several inclusion and exclusion criteria. Based on the analysis of these articles, it was concluded that miRNAs such as miR-223-3p, miR-26a-5p, miR-532-5p, miR-99b-3p, miR-182-5p, offer a non-invasive alternative with greater specificity and clinical significance for the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of cancer, such as prostate cancer, and can also allow differentiation between prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.