The validity of circulating microRNAs in oncology: five years of challenges and contradictions

J Jarry; D Schadendorf; C Greenwood; A Spatz; L C van Kempen

doi:10.1016/j.molonc.2014.02.009

The validity of circulating microRNAs in oncology: five years of challenges and contradictions

Mol Oncol. 2014 Jun;8(4):819-29. doi: 10.1016/j.molonc.2014.02.009. Epub 2014 Mar 6.

Authors

J Jarry¹, D Schadendorf², C Greenwood³, A Spatz⁴, L C van Kempen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
² Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Essen, Germany.
³ Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁴ Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pathology, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁵ Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pathology, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in circulation have received an increasing amount of interest as potential minimal invasive diagnostic tools in oncology. Several diagnostic, prognostic and predictive signatures have been proposed for a variety of cancers at different stages of disease, but these have not been subjected to a critical review regarding their validity: reproducible identification in comparable studies and/or with different platforms of miRNA detection. In this review, we will critically address the results of circulating miRNA research in oncology that have been published between January 2008 and June 2013 (5.5 years), and discuss pre-analytical challenges, technological pitfalls and limitations that may contribute to the non-reproducibility of circulating miRNA research.

Keywords: Circulating microRNAs; Diagnostic tool; Meta-analysis; Oncology.

Publication types

Evaluation Study
Review

MeSH terms

Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics
Blood Chemical Analysis* / methods
Humans
Medical Oncology / methods
Medical Oncology / trends
MicroRNAs / blood*
Neoplasms / blood
Neoplasms / classification
Neoplasms / diagnosis*
Neoplasms / genetics
Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
Polymerase Chain Reaction / standards
Prognosis
Reproducibility of Results
Transcriptome

Substances

Biomarkers, Tumor
MicroRNAs