MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-protein coding RNAs that regulate basic cellular processes and are associated with cancer characteristics. It is the aim of this review to describe the basics of the biogenesis and function of miRNAs, provide their role in tumorigenesis, and demonstrate their clinical potential in general and especially in urologic oncology. For that purpose, a PubMed search up to August 2008 was conducted using the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms for miRNAs alone and the urological carcinomas of kidney, prostate, bladder, testis, and penis combined with the Boolean operator "AND". Until August 2008, about 3,500 miRNA publications were included in the PubMed database. It has been estimated that about 1,500 would be published in 2008 alone. Several miRNA expression studies and corresponding functional experiments in various cancers showed the important role of miRNAs in cancer initiation and progression and proved their potential as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers and as basis for novel therapeutic strategies. However, in uro-oncology, only a few miRNA related articles (22 for prostate, 4 for kidney, 3 for bladder, and 6 for testis) were published. Cancer-specific expressions of miRNA patterns were shown, but the limited and partly inconsistent data underscore that we are at an early stage regarding this topic in urology. In spite of the obvious significance of miRNAs in malignant tumors, the relatively sparse data on miRNAs in uro-oncology clearly advocate that this area should be more intensively studied. Detailed understanding of the characteristic miRNA abnormalities could contribute to novel approaches in diagnosis and treatment of urological tumors.
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