MiRNA Targets of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most prevalent strain of cancer in men, but it is often slow-acting or undetected. Common diagnostic tools for PC include prostate biopsy and consequent analysis by the Gleason scoring of the tissue samples, as well as tests for the presence and levels of prostate-specific antigens. Common treatments for androgen-dependent PC include prostatectomy or irradiation, which can be invasive and significantly lower the patient’s quality of life. Alternative treatments exist, such as androgen ablation therapy, which, though effective, causes relapse into androgen-independent PC, which is far more invasive and likely to metastasize to other parts of the body. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are short nucleotide sequences (between 19 and 25 nucleotides long) that bind to various targeted messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences post-transcriptionally through complementary binding and control gene expression, often through silencing or leading to the degradation of targeted mRNA. Studies have shown that miRNAs are expressed abnormally in various cancers, suggesting that they play a pivotal role in cancer development and progression. Some miRNAs are oncogenes that incite cancerous growth, while others are involved in tumor suppression and cell cycle controls. MiRNA expression also differs in various types of cancers. Studies of PC-specific miRNAs show potential for their utilization in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of PC to more effectively target tumor growth and provide patients with better therapeutic options.