MicroRNAs Possibly Involved in the Development of Bone Metastasis in Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Bone metastasis in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) leads to substantial morbidity through skeletal related adverse events and implicates worse clinical outcomes. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small non-protein coding RNA molecules with important regulatory functions in cancer development and metastasis. In this retrospective analysis we present dysregulated miRNA in ccRCC, which are associated with bone metastasis. In particular, miR-23a-3p, miR-27a-3p, miR-20a-5p, and miR-335-3p specifically correlated with the earlier appearance of bone metastasis, compared to metastasis in other organs. In contrast, miR-30b-3p and miR-139-3p were correlated with less occurrence of bone metastasis. These miRNAs are potential biomarkers and attractive targets for miRNA inhibitors or mimics, which could lead to novel therapeutic possibilities for bone targeted treatment in metastatic ccRCC.