High miR-9 levels represent a novel prognostic biomarker to predict development of malignant meningioma

Abstract

Meningioma is the most common primary tumour affecting the central nervous system; it is classified as benign (WHO I, ~80%), atypical (WHO II, ~15-20%) and anaplastic/malignant (WHO III, ~1-3%). The 3-year recurrence rate in WHO I meningioma is estimated in about 50% and it is much greater in WHO II and III tumours. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a large class of small RNAs driving regulation of gene expression at post-transcriptional level and playing a role in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and carcinogenesis. Several studies showed that miRNAs are involved in tumour progression and therefore proposed as diagnostic tools. Here, we evaluated miRNAs signature in meningioma to identify novel biomarkers of tumour progression.