Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations ] (2016) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎ Review article Recent scenario of microRNA as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of prostate cancer Kamla Kant Shukla, Ph.D. a, * , Sanjeev Misra, M.S., M.Ch. b , Puneet Pareek, M.D, D.N.B. c , Vivek Mishra, Ph.D. d , Barkha Singhal, Ph.D. e , Praveen Sharma, Ph.D. a a Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India b Department of Surgical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India c Department of Radiation Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India d Department of Biotechnology, IFTM University, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India e Department of Biology, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX, USA Received 6 June 2016; received in revised form 24 October 2016; accepted 26 October 2016 Abstract Prostate cancer (CaP) is a leading cause of cancer death and displays a broad range of clinical behavior from relatively indolent to aggressive metastatic disease. Due to the alteration and incomplete characterization of the CaP genomic markers, the quest for novel cellular metabolic regulatory molecules like micro RNA (miRNA) as a biomarker could be considered for the prognosis and treatment of CaP in future. In this article, we review the existing literature pertaining to CaP. Study provides a comprehensive miRNA profile expressed in CaP. Beside the miRNA expressed in the tumor tissue, circulating miRNAs have been found highly stable and are both detectable and quantifiable in a range of accessible bio fluids; therefore, miRNA has the potential to be useful diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarker. Along with being an important molecule in modulation of CaP progression, the miRNA have certain limitations such as lack of stable expression of multiple target genes and often disrupt entire signaling networks of cellular metabolic pathways. We conclude that: The alteration of miRNA and their role played in cellular regulatory networks would be the next target of basic research in CaP. The miRNAs identified may be validated and modeled to understand their role in CaP, using bioinformatics. There is an immediate unmet need in the translational approach of identified miRNAs. The characterization of miRNAs involved in CaP is still incomplete: adequate validation studies are required to corroborate current results. r 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: MicroRNA; Prostate cancer; Biomarker; Prognostics; Diagnostics 1. Introduction Cancer of prostate (CaP) is primarily a disease of elderly men and approximately three-quarter of cases has been reported worldwide in men, aged 65 years and older [1]. In the past decade, the number of newly diagnosed CaP has increased dramatically. The current global incidence of CaP is 31.1 per 100,000 population and accounts for 15% of all cancers [2]. In India and other Asian countries, the incidence of CaP is 4.2 per 100,000 populations and it may become a major health issue in near future. Despite all medical advancements, CaP remains a major problem worldwide. In 2012, approximately 233,159 men were diagnosed and 30,383 men died of CaP in the United States [3]. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have become the key player in the field of human molecular oncology and several studies have indicated that miRNA profiling can offer revolutionary possibilities in cancer detection, classification, and monitoring. The miRNAs are a class of 22-noncoding nucleotides (ntd), which are regulatory small RNAs that regulate gene expression by complementary base pairing with the 3 0 -untranslated region (UTR) of target mRNAs. They may cause degradation of mRNA or suppression of mRNA translation or cause both, which consequently leads to a http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.urolonc.2016.10.019 1078-1439/r 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ91-800-399-6872. E-mail address: shukla.kgmu@gmail.com (K.K. Shukla).