Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent kidney cancer subtype and, in most cases, it is incidentally diagnosed, as early-stage disease is often asymptomatic. Therefore, the identification of stable, noninvasive biomarkers is a major unmet clinical need. Urinary microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising candidates since they are extraordinarily stable in urine and show a close relationship with tumour biology. Methods: In this study, urinary expression levels of five miRNAs (miR-15a,miR-15b,miR-16,miR-210, andmiR-let-7b) were analysed in RCC patients before surgery, 5 days after, and one month after surgery, and compared to healthy controls. Results: Non-parametric analyses revealed significant postoperative decreases formiR-15a(p= 0.002),miR-16(p= 0.025),miR-210(p= 0.030), and in the overallmiRNA Sum(p= 0.002), suggesting that these miRNAs are directly linked to tumour presence. In the comparison between preoperative and one-month postoperative samples,miR-let-7b(p= 0.049) and the globalmiRNA Sum(p= 0.037) remained significantly reduced after intervention, indicating a partial normalisation of urinary miRNA profiles. Correlation analyses demonstrated positive associations between specific miRNAs and clinical parameters such as age, ischemia time, and surgical time, reinforcing their potential relevance to tumour biology and treatment response. Conclusions: These findings support urinary miRNAs as promising, minimally invasive biomarkers for ccRCC diagnosis and postoperative monitoring.
背景：透明细胞肾细胞癌（ccRCC）是最常见的肾癌亚型，且多数病例为偶然诊断，因为早期疾病通常无症状。因此，寻找稳定、无创的生物标志物是临床上尚未满足的重要需求。尿液微小RNA（miRNA）因其在尿液中异常稳定，并与肿瘤生物学密切关联，已成为有前景的候选标志物。方法：本研究分析了肾细胞癌患者术前、术后5天及术后1个月尿液中的五种miRNA（miR-15a、miR-15b、miR-16、miR-210和miR-let-7b）表达水平，并与健康对照进行比较。结果：非参数分析显示，术后miR-15a（p=0.002）、miR-16（p=0.025）、miR-210（p=0.030）及总体miRNA总和（p=0.002）均显著下降，提示这些miRNA与肿瘤存在直接关联。在术前与术后1个月样本的比较中，miR-let-7b（p=0.049）和总体miRNA总和（p=0.037）在干预后仍显著降低，表明尿液miRNA谱出现部分正常化。相关性分析显示特定miRNA与年龄、缺血时间、手术时间等临床参数呈正相关，进一步支持其与肿瘤生物学及治疗反应的潜在关联。结论：这些发现支持尿液miRNA作为ccRCC诊断和术后监测中具有前景的微创生物标志物。
Liquid Biopsy in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: Diagnostic Potential of Urinary miRNAs
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家