Around 40% of
pheochromocytomas/
paragangliomas (PPGL) harbor germline mutations, representing the highest heritability among human
tumors. All PPGL have metastatic potential, but metastatic PPGL is overall rare. There is no available molecular marker for the metastatic potential of these
tumors, and the diagnosis of metastatic PPGL can only be established if
metastases are found at "extra-chromaffin" sites. In the era of
precision medicine with individually targeted
therapies and advanced care of patients, the treatment options for metastatic
pheochromocytoma/
paraganglioma are still limited. With this review we would like to nurture the idea of the quest for non-coding
ribonucleic acids as an area to be further investigated in
tumor biology.
Non-coding RNA molecules encompassing
microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and
circular RNAs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various
tumors, and were also proposed as valuable diagnostic, prognostic factors, and even potential treatment targets. Given the fact that the pathogenesis of
tumors including
pheochromocytomas/
paragangliomas is linked to epigenetic dysregulation, it is reasonable to conduct studies related to their epigenetic expression profiles and in this brief review we present a synopsis of currently available findings on the relevance of these molecules in these
tumors highlighting their diagnostic potential.