Published in

Spandidos Publications, International Journal of Molecular Medicine

DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2012.1089

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

microRNAs and thyroid cancer: Biological and clinical significance

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Postprint: archiving forbidden
Orange circle
Published version: archiving restricted
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Despite recent advances in the management of thyroid cancer, the survival rate of this tumor may still be improved. Therefore, the identification of biological and molecular features of indolent and aggressive disease would be critical to define clinically useful predictors of high-risk lesions. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules with regulatory function and marked tissue specificity that modulate multiple targets belonging to several pathways. They are frequently deregulated in cancer and constitute a new class of blood-based biomarkers useful for cancer detection and prognosis definition, including thyroid cancer. In this review, the role of miRNAs in thyroid cancer development is described. The most common miRNAs detected in thyroid cancer along with their clinical significance are also discussed. Further studies aimed to detect plasma-based miRNA biomarkers in thyroid cancer patients may provide further insight into the management of thyroid cancer.