[Extracellular miRNA: a novel molecular biomarker for lung cancer].
Though continuous development and progress have been made in the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, it is still difficult to find a sensitive, accurate and minimally invasive biomarker for cancer diagnosis and treatment. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a class of non-coding small endogenous RNAs of 21-24 nucleotides in length. As a novel molecular biomarker, extracellular miRNA (ec-miRNA) has the potential to be a minimally invasive, highly sensitive and highly specific marker in cancer diagnosis. Many research achievements of ec-miRNA have been accumulated in recent years. In this paper, the origin, function and detection of ec-miRNA, its role in lung cancer diagnosis as a novel molecular biomarker, and some issues are reviewed.
Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China. huajj22@163.com
Li-Hua
LH
Yang
Zhuo
Z
Dong
Zhao-Hui
ZH
Gong
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs