Microrna as a prognostic and diagnostic marker in t‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T‐ALL) is a biologically and genetically heterogeneous disease with a poor prognosis overall and several subtypes. The neoplastic transformation takes place through the accumulation of numerous genetic and epigenetic abnormalities. There are only a few prognostic factors in comparison to B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is characterized by a lower variability and more homogeneous course. The microarray and next‐generation sequencing (NGS) technologies exploring the coding and non‐coding part of the genome allow us to reveal the complexity of the genomic and transcriptomic background of T‐ALL. miRNAs are a class of non‐coding RNAs that are involved in the regulation of cellular functions: cell proliferations, apoptosis, migrations, and many other processes. No miRNA has become a significant prognostic and diagnostic factor in T‐ALL to date; therefore, this topic of investigation is extremely important, and T‐ALL is the subject of intensive research among scientists. The altered expression of many genes in T‐ALL might also be caused by wide miRNA dysregulation. The following review focuses on summarizing and characterizing the microRNAs of pediatric patients with T‐ALL diagnosis and their potential future use as predictive factors.