Highlights of This Issue

miRNAs have great potential as important cancer biomarkers, but protocols to reliably extract and detect miRNAs from biospecimens are still being developed. In this work, Link and colleagues report the successful extraction of several miRNAs from stool specimens. In addition, they report that miRNA levels were reproducible in stool samples collected serially from the same individual. This study helps advance the use of miRNA biomarkers in noninvasive screening tests for colorectal neoplasms.

The detection of persistent carcinogenic HPV infection is associated with increased risk of cervical precancer and cancer. Presently, different assays are in use to score persistent HPV infections, but it is unclear which assay affords the best predictive information. To help clarify this issue, Gage and colleagues compared two tests for HPV detection: a pooled HPV genotype test (hybrid capture 2; hc2) versus a HPV genotype-specific PCR test. Surprisingly, the authors found that the pooled hc2 test was more sensitive for identifying advanced cervical lesions (CIN3) compared to the genotype-specific HPV test. These studies will facilitate assay choice for HPV persistence.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignancy in the United States. It is not clear if people with NMSC are at increased or decreased risk of second primary malignancies. To examine this question, Wheless and colleagues conducted a systematic review of 21 studies representing 13 populations in 10 countries. They found strong evidence that a history of NMSC is associated increased risk of developing other malignancies. The association was found in both men and women and for both squamous and basal cell carcinoma.

It is not known if genes involved in folate-associated one carbon metabolism have roles in the development of CRC. To explore this question, Levine and colleagues performed a case-control study of 395 tagSNPs within 15 folate and vitamin B12 metabolism genes. Two tagSNPs within the DHFR gene and an additional tagSNP in the MTR gene were associated with reduced CRC risk, but only among individuals not using multivitamin supplements. These findings suggest that vitamin supplement use may modify the association between folate pathway genes and CRC risk.