The role of microRNAs in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma--a short review

Our plain-English summary of The role of microRNAs in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma--a short review, by K.W. Sheff, M.A. Hoda, B. Dome, et al (MicroRNA, 2012).

The study

• Authors: K.W. Sheff, M.A. Hoda, B. Dome, B. Hegedus, W. Klepetko, G.J. Weiss
• Journal: MicroRNA
• Published: 2012;1(1):40-8
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

MicroRNAs are a class of small, non-coding RNAs that can function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes by regulating gene expression. This link was first reported in 2004, and has since been tied to a variety of malignancies, including malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). MPM is a malignancy arising in the mesothelial cells lining the lung pleura and is associated with chronic asbestos exposure. Despite the possibility for observing declining localized occurrence, global MPM is predicted to remain constant or increase slightly over the next decade. Global occurrence in combination with poor overall survival, difficulty in diagnosis, and limited effective treatment options signal the need for further exploration of miRNA involvement in MPM. Accordingly, this review highlights miRNA profiles associated with the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic approaches in MPM.

In plain English

This article was a short review, not a new study. The authors summarized published research on microRNAs, small RNA molecules that regulate genes, in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). They described MPM as commonly associated with chronic asbestos exposure, both occupational and environmental. No fiber types were named. Among the studies the review described, one by Benjamin and colleagues developed a microRNA test that correctly identified 95% of blinded samples from 14 MPM and 49 carcinoma cases. In another, cited as a 2011 study, miR-126 was measured in 196 high-risk asbestos-exposed subjects, 44 MPM patients and 50 healthy controls. That study reported higher risk of MPM when miR-126 was decreased together with rising levels of a blood marker called SMRP. A third cited study, of 17 MPM samples, observed no significant differences in microRNA expression by asbestos exposure status. The authors concluded that further studies of microRNAs in MPM must be initiated and that the safety of microRNA-based treatments still needs confirmation.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: short narrative review of published research on microRNAs in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma
• Who was studied: No population of its own; the review drew on published studies of microRNAs in MPM using cell lines, tumor tissue samples, patients and asbestos-exposed subjects
• Exposure: Asbestos was not studied directly. The authors described MPM as commonly associated with chronic asbestos exposure, both occupational and environmental, and named no fiber types.
• Main results:
  • Reviewed study (Benjamin and colleagues): a microRNA-based test correctly identified 95% of a blinded set of 14 MPM and 49 carcinoma samples
  • Reviewed 2011 study: miR-126 was evaluated in 196 high-risk asbestos-exposed subjects, 44 MPM patients and 50 healthy controls
  • In that same reviewed study, risk of developing MPM was reported as higher when miR-126 expression was decreased together with increasing SMRP levels
  • Reviewed study of 17 MPM samples: no significant expression differences were observed regarding asbestos exposure status or survival rate for asbestos-exposed versus non-exposed patients
  • Reviewed study (Pass and colleagues): high miR-29c* expression categorized MPM patients by time to progression after surgery and by overall survival
  • Reviewed study (Busacca and colleagues): decreased expression of miR-17-5p and miR-30c was significantly associated with better overall survival in sarcomatoid mesothelioma
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that future studies of microRNA involvement in MPM must be initiated, and that further validation of the safety of microRNA silencing or replacement is required

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer, Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Mesothelioma, Mesothelial Cells, Pleura, Asbestos Exposure, Overall Survival, Prognosis.

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• Young investigator challenge: MicroRNA-21/MicroRNA-126 profiling as a novel tool for the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma in pleural effusion cytology — R. Cappellesso, L. Nicolè, et al. (2016)
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