The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future Perspectives
<i>Background and Objectives</i>: Despite advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of testicular germ cell tumours (TGTCs), challenges persist in identifying reliable biomarkers for early detection and precise disease management. This narrative review addresses the role of microRNAs (...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Medicina |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/11/2033 |
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| author | Francesco Ditonno Antonio Franco Celeste Manfredi Daniela Fasanella Marco Abate Roberto La Rocca Fabio Crocerossa Vincenzo Iossa Ugo Giovanni Falagario Luigi Cirillo Vincenzo Maria Altieri Ernesto Di Mauro Felice Crocetto Biagio Barone Simone Cilio Savio Domenico Pandolfo Achille Aveta Vincenzo Mirone Corrado Aniello Franzese Davide Arcaniolo Luigi Napolitano |
| author_facet | Francesco Ditonno Antonio Franco Celeste Manfredi Daniela Fasanella Marco Abate Roberto La Rocca Fabio Crocerossa Vincenzo Iossa Ugo Giovanni Falagario Luigi Cirillo Vincenzo Maria Altieri Ernesto Di Mauro Felice Crocetto Biagio Barone Simone Cilio Savio Domenico Pandolfo Achille Aveta Vincenzo Mirone Corrado Aniello Franzese Davide Arcaniolo Luigi Napolitano |
| author_sort | Francesco Ditonno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background and Objectives</i>: Despite advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of testicular germ cell tumours (TGTCs), challenges persist in identifying reliable biomarkers for early detection and precise disease management. This narrative review addresses the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets in the treatment of TGCTs. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: Three databases (PubMed<sup>®</sup>, Web of Science™, and Scopus<sup>®</sup>) were queried for studies investigating the utility of miRNA as diagnostic tools, assessing their prognostic significance, and evaluating their potential to guide TGCT treatment. Different combinations of the following keywords were used, according to a free-text protocol: “miRNA”, “non-coding RNA”, “small RNA”, “Testicular Cancer”, “seminomatous testicular germ cell”, “non-seminomatous testicular germ cell”. <i>Results</i>: The potential of miRNAs as possible biomarkers for a non-invasive diagnosis of TGCT is appealing. Their integration into the diagnostic pathway for TGCT patients holds the potential to enhance the discriminative power of conventional serum tumour markers (STMs) and could expedite early diagnosis, given that miRNA overexpression was observed in 50% of GCNIS cases. Among miRNAs, miR-371a-3p stands out with the most promising evidence, suggesting its relevance in the primary diagnosis of TGCT, particularly when conventional STMs offer limited value. Indeed, it demonstrated high specificity (90–99%) and sensitivity (84–89%), with good positive predictive value (97.2%) and negative predictive value (82.7%). Furthermore, a direct relationship between miRNA concentration, disease burden, and treatment response exists, regardless of disease stages. The initial evidence of miRNA decrease in response to surgical treatment and systemic chemotherapy has been further supported by more recent results suggesting the potential utility of this tool not only in evaluating treatment response but also in monitoring residual disease and predicting disease relapse. <i>Conclusions</i>: MiRNAs could represent a reliable tool for accurate diagnosis and disease monitoring in the treatment of TGCT, providing more precise tools for early detection and treatment stratification. Nevertheless, well-designed clinical trials and comprehensive long-term data are needed to ensure their translation into effective clinical tools. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:37:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d883697a51834014af7549c982c1f7f5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1010-660X 1648-9144 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:37:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicina |
| spelling | doaj.art-d883697a51834014af7549c982c1f7f52023-11-24T14:55:07ZengMDPI AGMedicina1010-660X1648-91442023-11-015911203310.3390/medicina59112033The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future PerspectivesFrancesco Ditonno0Antonio Franco1Celeste Manfredi2Daniela Fasanella3Marco Abate4Roberto La Rocca5Fabio Crocerossa6Vincenzo Iossa7Ugo Giovanni Falagario8Luigi Cirillo9Vincenzo Maria Altieri10Ernesto Di Mauro11Felice Crocetto12Biagio Barone13Simone Cilio14Savio Domenico Pandolfo15Achille Aveta16Vincenzo Mirone17Corrado Aniello Franzese18Davide Arcaniolo19Luigi Napolitano20Department of Urology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612-3833, USADepartment of Urology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612-3833, USADepartment of Urology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612-3833, USADepartment of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Urology, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, ItalyDepartment of Andrology, “Antonio Cardarelli” Hospital, 80131 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Urology and Organ Transplantation, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, ItalyASL Napoli 3 Sud, 80121 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, “Luigi Vanvitelli” University, 81100 Naples, ItalyUrology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, Italy<i>Background and Objectives</i>: Despite advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of testicular germ cell tumours (TGTCs), challenges persist in identifying reliable biomarkers for early detection and precise disease management. This narrative review addresses the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets in the treatment of TGCTs. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: Three databases (PubMed<sup>®</sup>, Web of Science™, and Scopus<sup>®</sup>) were queried for studies investigating the utility of miRNA as diagnostic tools, assessing their prognostic significance, and evaluating their potential to guide TGCT treatment. Different combinations of the following keywords were used, according to a free-text protocol: “miRNA”, “non-coding RNA”, “small RNA”, “Testicular Cancer”, “seminomatous testicular germ cell”, “non-seminomatous testicular germ cell”. <i>Results</i>: The potential of miRNAs as possible biomarkers for a non-invasive diagnosis of TGCT is appealing. Their integration into the diagnostic pathway for TGCT patients holds the potential to enhance the discriminative power of conventional serum tumour markers (STMs) and could expedite early diagnosis, given that miRNA overexpression was observed in 50% of GCNIS cases. Among miRNAs, miR-371a-3p stands out with the most promising evidence, suggesting its relevance in the primary diagnosis of TGCT, particularly when conventional STMs offer limited value. Indeed, it demonstrated high specificity (90–99%) and sensitivity (84–89%), with good positive predictive value (97.2%) and negative predictive value (82.7%). Furthermore, a direct relationship between miRNA concentration, disease burden, and treatment response exists, regardless of disease stages. The initial evidence of miRNA decrease in response to surgical treatment and systemic chemotherapy has been further supported by more recent results suggesting the potential utility of this tool not only in evaluating treatment response but also in monitoring residual disease and predicting disease relapse. <i>Conclusions</i>: MiRNAs could represent a reliable tool for accurate diagnosis and disease monitoring in the treatment of TGCT, providing more precise tools for early detection and treatment stratification. Nevertheless, well-designed clinical trials and comprehensive long-term data are needed to ensure their translation into effective clinical tools.https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/11/2033biomarkergerm cell neoplasia in situgerm cell tumourmicroRNA |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Ditonno Antonio Franco Celeste Manfredi Daniela Fasanella Marco Abate Roberto La Rocca Fabio Crocerossa Vincenzo Iossa Ugo Giovanni Falagario Luigi Cirillo Vincenzo Maria Altieri Ernesto Di Mauro Felice Crocetto Biagio Barone Simone Cilio Savio Domenico Pandolfo Achille Aveta Vincenzo Mirone Corrado Aniello Franzese Davide Arcaniolo Luigi Napolitano The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future Perspectives Medicina biomarker germ cell neoplasia in situ germ cell tumour microRNA |
| title | The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future Perspectives |
| title_full | The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future Perspectives |
| title_fullStr | The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future Perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future Perspectives |
| title_short | The Role of miRNA in Testicular Cancer: Current Insights and Future Perspectives |
| title_sort | role of mirna in testicular cancer current insights and future perspectives |
| topic | biomarker germ cell neoplasia in situ germ cell tumour microRNA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/11/2033 |
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