Towards Personalized Medicine: Non-Coding RNAs and Endometrial Cancer.

Anna Franca Cavaliere,Stefano Restaino,Giuseppe Vizzielli,Fabrizio Signore,Gianluca Straface,Roberto Piergentili,Federica Perelli,Giovanni Scambia,Simona Zaami,Alberto Mattei

doi:10.3390/healthcare9080965

Abstract

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most frequent female cancer associated with excellent prognosis if diagnosed at an early stage. The risk factors on which clinical staging is based are constantly updated and genetic and epigenetic characteristics have recently been emerging as prognostic markers. The evidence shows that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a fundamental role in various biological processes associated with the pathogenesis of EC and many of them also have a prognosis prediction function, of remarkable importance in defining the therapeutic and surveillance path of EC patients. Personalized medicine focuses on the continuous updating of risk factors that are identifiable early during the EC staging to tailor treatments to patients. This review aims to show a summary of the current classification systems and to encourage the integration of various risk factors, introducing the prognostic role of non-coding RNAs, to avoid aggressive therapies where not necessary and to treat and strictly monitor subjects at greater risk of relapse.

Highlights

Endometrial cancer (EC) has been managed according to different classification systems based on several risk factors characteristic of each patient
TUG1 up oncogene miR-34a-5p; miR-299 n/a ncRNAs are listed in alphabetical order and for each we report its expression in EC compared to control, its oncogenic function, its functional interactions with target miRNA and its role in the development of EC as reported in the available literature
TUSC7 down tumor suppressor miR-23b; miR-616 a; e ncRNAs are listed in alphabetical order and for each we report its expression in EC compared to control, its tumor suppressor function, its functional interactions with target miRNA and its role in the development of EC as reported in the available literature

Summary

Introduction

Endometrial cancer (EC) has been managed according to different classification systems based on several risk factors characteristic of each patient. The first classification was mainly based on pathological aspects, from which endocrine, metabolic and clinical behavior derived. It was called the Bokhman’s dualistic theory, according to which EC has been traditionally classified into the following two main groups: type I and type II [1]. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) described for the first time in 2013 the following four distinct endometrial cancer subgroups: polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutated, hypermutated secondary to microsatellite instability (MSI), low copy number and high copy number, based on molecular features [3]

Objectives

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion