Plasmatic miR-210, miR-221 and miR-1233 profile: potential liquid biopsies candidates for renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents a challenge for clinicians since the nonexistence of screening and monitoring tests contributes to the fact that one-third of patients are diagnosed with metastatic disease and 20-40% of the remaining patients will also develop metastasis. Modern medicine is now trying to establish circulating biomolecules as the gold standard of biomarkers. Among the molecules that can be released from tumor cells we can find microRNAs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of cancer-related miR-210, miR-218, miR-221 and miR-1233 as prognostic biomarkers for RCC. Patients with higher levels of miR-210, miR-221 and miR-1233 presented a higher risk of specific death by RCC and a lower cancer-specific survival. The addition of miR-210, miR-221 and miR-1233 plasma levels information improved the capacity to predict death by cancer in 8, 4% when compared to the current variables used by clinicians. We also verified that hypoxia stimulates the release of miR-210 and miR-1233 from HKC-8, RCC-FG2 and 786-O cell lines. These results support the addition of circulating microRNAs as prognostic biomarkers for RCC.

Oncotarget. 2017 Oct 11*** epublish ***

Francisca Dias, Ana Luísa Teixeira, Marta Ferreira, Bárbara Adem, Nuno Bastos, Joana Vieira, Mara Fernandes, Maria Inês Sequeira, Joaquina Maurício, Francisco Lobo, António Morais, Jorge Oliveira, Klaas Kok, Rui Medeiros

Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, IPO-Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO-Porto), Porto, Portugal., Medical Oncology Department of the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO-Porto), Porto, Portugal., Genetics Department of the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO-Porto), Porto, Portugal., Urology Department of the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO-Porto), Porto, Portugal., Department of Genetics, University Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands.