Department of Surgery, Price Institute of Surgical Research, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, USA.
Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2012 Autumn;24(3):155-65. doi: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2012.06.009.
Lung cancer is the most lethal cancer due to late detection in advanced stages; early diagnosis of lung cancer allows surgical treatment and improves the outcome. The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux-related adenocarcinomas of the esophagus is increasing; repetitive surveillance endoscopies are necessary to detect development of cancer. A blood-based biomarker would simplify the diagnosis and treatment of both diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNA strands that interfere with protein production. miRNAs play pivotal roles in cell homeostasis, and dysregulation of miRNAs can lead to the development of cancer. miRNAs can be found in all body fluids and have been proposed to serve as messengers between closely localized cells but also distant organs. Cancer cells actively secrete miRNAs, and these miRNA profiles can be found in blood. We outline, here, how these miRNAs may aid in diagnosis and treatment of lung and esophageal cancers, as well as their apparent limitations.
肺癌是最致命的癌症，因为在晚期才被发现；早期诊断肺癌可以进行手术治疗并改善预后。与胃食管反流相关的食管腺癌的患病率正在增加；需要进行重复的内窥镜检查以检测癌症的发展。基于血液的生物标志物将简化这两种疾病的诊断和治疗。微小 RNA（miRNA）是干扰蛋白质产生的短 RNA 链。miRNA 在细胞内稳态中发挥关键作用，miRNA 的失调可能导致癌症的发生。miRNA 可以存在于所有体液中，并被提议作为近距离细胞之间以及远距离器官之间的信使。癌细胞主动分泌 miRNA，这些 miRNA 谱可以在血液中找到。在这里，我们概述了这些 miRNA 如何帮助诊断和治疗肺癌和食管癌，以及它们明显的局限性。
