What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to identify blood-free microRNAs in urine as diagnostic markers for various stages of prostate cancer.

April 5, 2026

Abstract 5321: Comprehensive profiling of urine microRNAs in prostate cancer patients.

Key Points

The research aims to identify blood-free microRNAs in urine as diagnostic markers for various stages of prostate cancer.
Collected urine samples from 100 prostate cancer patients and 22 controls.
Isolated total RNA using JBS Cell-free RNA & microRNA Isolation Kit and automated systems.
Analyzed microRNA expressions with NGS to quantify 2,083 distinct microRNAs.
Performed differential expression analysis with DESeq2 to find relevant cfmiRs.
Developed cfmiR signatures using machine learning based on importance scores.
Identified 664 differentially expressed microRNAs, with 95 cfmiRs upregulated in cancer patients.
10-cfmiR signature demonstrated an AUC of 0.88, with specificity at 0.91 and sensitivity at 0.72.
Created additional signatures (16-cfmiR and 54-cfmiR) that showed significant diagnostic performance.
Certain cfmiRs were linked to higher grade cancer groups and elevated PSA levels.
Identified 109 cfmiRs common between this study and previous analyses, indicating consistency.

Abstract

Abstract The diagnosis of early-stage and locally advanced prostate cancer (PCa) continues to present significant clinical challenges. While prostate-specific antigen (PSA) remains the only serum biomarker currently used for PCa detection, its specificity is low, limiting its effectiveness. Although multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging serves as a valuable diagnostic resource, there are many inherent risks, including missing the target lesion during evaluation. This study was designed to identify urine cell-free microRNAs (cfmiRs) as diagnostic markers for patients with PCa of different stages (pT1a-pT3b). Briefly, urine samples were collected from 100 patients diagnosed with PCa and 22 individuals without PCa. Total RNA was isolated from 1 mL of urine using JBS Cell-free RNA 8.31e-09]. When considering only upregulated cfmiRs, we found a 16-cfmiR and a 54-cfmiR signatures, which demonstrated good diagnostic performance for PCa AUC = 0.77, specificity = 0.64, sensitivity = 0.84, p 1.84e-06; AUC = 0.82, specificity = 0.82, sensitivity = 0.73, p1.90e-06. The diagnostic accuracy observed for the cfmiR signature was further conserved when focusing specifically on let-7a-5p AUC = 0.79, specificity = 0.73, sensitivity = 0.76, p 0.001 and let-7b-5p AUC = 0.80, specificity = 0.73, sensitivity = 0.69, p 0.001. Specific cfmiR signatures were associated with higher grade groups and elevated PSA levels. The cfmiR signatures identified in this study were also compared with the cfmiRs identified in a previous study analyzing a cohort of early-stage pT2 PCa patients. Notably, 109 cfmiRs were detected consistently in both groups, with 93.75% (15 out of 16) of the cfmiRs in the 16-cfmiR signature being upregulated and present in both comparisons. In summary, this study successfully quantified and identified potential cfmiR signatures in urine samples from PCa patients at all stages. Specific urine cfmiRs may offer an advantage to distinguish patients with more aggressive disease. The findings suggest that urine is a robust source of cfmiRs with promising potential for the diagnosis of individuals with PCa. Citation Format: Matias A. Bustos, Yoko Koh, Jaime Moon, Dai Takamatsu, SooMin Kim, Gianna Jimenez, David L. Krasne, Timothy G. Wilson, Dave S. Hoon. Comprehensive profiling of urine microRNAs in prostate cancer patients abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 5321.

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