Abstract
PurposeSerum levels of microRNA-371a-3p (M371) have been shown to be a highly sensitive and specific biomarker for testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT). Little information exists on the expression of this marker in testicular neoplasms deriving from the gonadal stroma or other structures of the gonad. This study presents an expression analysis of the novel TGCT-biomarker M371 in a large cohort of testicular non-germ cell tumours.MethodsThe M371 expression was measured by quantitative real time PCR in serum of 99 patients with testicular tumours of non-germ cell origin, thereof 30 patients with malignant testicular lymphomas and 61 patients with gonadal stroma tumours such as Leydig cell tumours, Sertoli cell tumours and 8 cases with miscellaneous benign testicular tumours. Their M371 levels were compared to those of 20 patients with TGCT and to 37 tumour-free male controls.ResultsThe median expression levels of benign testicular tumours and testicular lymphoma are close to zero, thus, identical with those of controls and significantly lower than those of TGCT. In summary, this study provides further evidence for the notion that M371 is exclusively expressed by germ cell tumours and not by testicular neoplasms of the non-germ cell subtypes.ConclusionClinically, the test might be of value in preoperative characterization of benign testicular tumours eligible for conservative surgery.
Highlights
Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) represent a paradigm of a curable malignancy (Rajpert-De Meyts et al 2016)
It was shown that M371 is not or only very little expressed by extra-testicular malignancies (Spiekermann et al 2015), but there are currently limited data regarding the expression of this novel marker in testicular neoplasms of non-germ cell origin (Regouc et al 2020)
Subsequent investigations found a strong expression of this miR in germ cell tumours (Belge et al 2020; Palmer et al 2010) and it was assumed that the biological similarity of human stem cells and germ cell neoplasms would be the reason for the particular miR profile of testicular tumours (Bezan et al 2014; Looijenga et al 2014)
Summary
Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) represent a paradigm of a curable malignancy (Rajpert-De Meyts et al 2016). The other major subgroup of testicular non-germ cell tumours comprises of so-called haematolymphoid tumours with diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma representing the most frequent subtype followed by follicular lymphoma and rare hematological malignancies such as plasmacytoma and others. It was shown that M371 is not or only very little expressed by extra-testicular malignancies (Spiekermann et al 2015), but there are currently limited data regarding the expression of this novel marker in testicular neoplasms of non-germ cell origin (Regouc et al 2020). The present study analyses serum levels of M371 in a large patient sample of non-germ cell testicular tumours with several histological subgroups and compares the findings with the levels in patients with TGCT
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