RNA m6A modification in prostate cancer: A new weapon for its diagnosis and therapy

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignant tumor and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men worldwide. Despite significant advances in PCa therapy, the underlying molecular mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. Recently, epigenetic modification has emerged as a key player in tumor progression, and RNA-based N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) epigenetic modification was found to be crucial. This review summarizes comprehensive state-of-art mechanisms underlying m⁶A modification, its implication in the pathogenesis, and advancement of PCa in protein-coding and non-coding RNA contexts, its relevance to PCa immunotherapy, and the ongoing clinical trials for PCa treatment. This review presents potential m⁶A-based targets and paves a new avenue for diagnosing and treating PCa, providing new guidelines for future related research through a systematic review of previous results.

Keywords: Epigenetic modification; Immunotherapy; N6-methyladenosine; Prostate cancer; RNA modification.