Current Role of MicroRNAs in the Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Germ Cell Tumors
Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are a rare and heterogeneous group of neoplasms arising from primitive germ cells. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that have emerged as potential cancer biomarkers in the last decade. In particular, miR-371a-3p has shown good diagnostic performance for germ cell neoplasia in situ-derived testicular GCTs in several well-established cohorts and is expected to enter the clinical arena in the near future. GCTs universally exhibit high expression of miR-371-373 and miR-302/367 clusters and low expression of let-7 family miRNAs. Further studies are needed to assess the potential role of these miRNAs as biomarkers of ovarian and extragonadal GCTs.