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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Mol Med. 2011 Feb 25;17(5):235–243. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2011.01.008

Figure 3. MicroRNA-based diagnosis and prognosis in cancer.

Figure 3

The expression signature of many miRNAs is specific to cell type and function, and also correlates with common oncogenic features. This specificity is useful as a diagnostic tool in the discrimination of tumor origins, subtypes, and oncogenic mutations. Individual miRNAs can also act as markers of cancer susceptibility; specifically, mutations in miRNAs and their binding sites are commonly associated with increased cancer risk. Furthermore, miRNA-associated mutations and aberrant expression can predict cancer prognosis and response to therapy. These features make miRNAs an appealing tool for clinical use.