MicroRNA profiling for the identification of cancers with unknown primary tissue-of-origin.

ABSTRACT: Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) represents a common and important clinical problem. There is evidence that most CUPs are metastases of carcinomas whose primary site cannot be recognized. Driven by the hypothesis that the knowledge of primary cancer could improve patient's prognosis, we investigated microRNA expression profiling as a tool for identifying the tissue of origin of metastases. We assessed microRNA expression from 101 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from primary cancers and metastasis samples by using a microarray platform. Forty samples representing ten different cancer types were used for defining a cancer-type-specific microRNA signature, which was used for predicting primary sites of metastatic cancers. A 47-miRNA signature was identified and used to estimat

SUBMITTER: Ferracin M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4325368 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature