In the Sept. 29, 2009 online publication of Clinical Cancer Research (MiRNA expression in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and associations with survival), research performed in the lab of Curtis Harris, M.D., NCI, and collaborators, showed that microRNAs (miRNA) could be used as prognostic biomarkers for esophageal cancer as well in personalizing drug therapies for the disease. Additionally, miRNAs could be used to stratify patients who would benefit most from particular drug regimens.

In an earlier issue of Clinical Cancer Research, (Association of inflammation-related and microRNA gene expression with cancer specific mortality of colon adenocarcinoma; online Sept. 8, 2009; in print Sept. 15, 2009), other research from Harris and collaborators' labs showed that the expression pattern of inflammatory-related genes and microRNA (IRS and/or microRNA-21) were associated with prognosis in early stage colon cancer patients. These signatures may be useful to identify high risk, early stage patients and assist in decisions regarding appropriate therapeutic intervention. Combining independent biomarkers was also shown to improve predictions over single biomarkers. Taken together with the most recent miRNA finding in esophageal cancer noted above, miRNA are quickly become an important tool in cancer research and discovery.

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