Circulating MicroRNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most dominant cancer among men in America and Europe. Currently used clinical diagnostic markers are ineffective due to low specificity and poor sensitivity. A novel biomarker for diagnosis of PCa is required. A large quantity of microRNAs (miRNAs) is built up of 18-23 nucleotides; they are small non-coding and single-stranded, and are important in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by degrading or suppressing target gene mRNAs. MiRNAs are implicated in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer; however, they also act as novel target for the therapeutic intervention. They also show promise as biomarkers. In this review, we discuss the role of circulating miRNAs as potential biomarkers for PCa diagnosis.