title: New Concepts in Cancer Biomarkers: Circulating miRNAs in Liquid Biopsies.
abstract: The effective and efficient management of cancer patients relies upon early diagnosis and/or the monitoring of treatment, something that is often difficult to achieve using standard tissue biopsy techniques. Biological fluids such as blood hold great possibilities as a source of non-invasive cancer biomarkers that can act as surrogate markers to biopsy-based sampling. The non-invasive nature of these "liquid biopsies" ultimately means that cancer detection may be earlier and that the ability to monitor disease progression and/or treatment response represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of cancer patients. Below, we review one of the most promising classes of circulating cancer biomarkers: microRNAs (miRNAs). In particular, we will consider their history, the controversy surrounding their origin and biology, and, most importantly, the hurdles that remain to be overcome if they are really to become part of future clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. erika.larrea@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larrea
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. carla.sole@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sole
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. lorea.manterola@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: Lorea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manterola
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. ibai.goicoechea@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: Ibai
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goicoechea
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. maria.armesto@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Armesto
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. maria.arestin@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arestin
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. maria.caffarel@biodonostia.org.|IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain. maria.caffarel@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: María M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Caffarel
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. angela.araujo@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.affiliation: Hematology Department, Donostia Hospital, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. maria.araizramirez@osakidetza.eus.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Araiz
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. marta.fernandez@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Mercado
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology, Biodonostia Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain. charles.lawrie@biodonostia.org.|IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain. charles.lawrie@biodonostia.org.|Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. charles.lawrie@biodonostia.org.
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lawrie
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: cfmiRNAs; liquid biopsies; miRNAs