Research led by Dr Matthew Murray and Prof Nicholas Coleman (both Department of Pathology and members of our Paediatric Cancer Programme) shows the clinical potential of using short pieces of genetic code called ‘microRNAs’ as biomarkers for diagnosing hard to detect malignant germ cell tumours (GCTs), particularly those arising in the brain.
Germ cell tumours are a type of cancer that arise in egg- or sperm-forming cells, most commonly in the testis or ovary, but also at other sites in the body including the abdomen, chest and brain. They typically affect 2,500 people in the UK alone each year, usually in adolescents and young adults.
Measuring circulating levels of nucleic acids is an important new approach to diagnosing and monitoring this disease.
The research team were the first to identify a specific microRNA ‘signature’ in the bloodstream of patients with germ cell tumours back in 2011.
This paper is the latest in a series of publications investigating the potential for using this microRNA signature in the detection of GCTs. The last paper was covered in our news in September 2019 and discussed some of the issues around diagnosis and management of these tumours.
In their latest research, published in Neuro-Oncology Advances, the team have measured the micro-RNA signature in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of four patients with germ cell tumours and compared their clinical pathway to those who had no microRNAs measured.
The results indicate that knowing microRNA levels in real time would assist in clinical management and earlier diagnosis of these tumours.
Lead author Dr Matthew Murray, Honorary Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s said: "This work highlights the potential benefit of measuring a specific short piece of genetic code in bloodstream and/or spinal fluid from patients with a certain type of brain cancer called germ cell tumours.
Reference:
Murray MJ et al Clinical utility of circulating miR-371a-3p for the management of patients with intracranial malignant germ cell tumors Neuro-Oncology Advances 13 April 2020
