Inherited copy number variations (CNVs) can provide valuable information for cancer susceptibility and prognosis. However, their association with oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is still poorly studied. Using microarrays analysis, we identified three inherited CNVs associated with OPSCC risk, of which one was validated in 152 OPSCC patients and 155 controls and related to pseudogene-microRNA-mRNA interaction. Individuals with three or more copies of ADAM3A and ADAM5 pseudogenes (8p11.22 chromosome region) were under 6.49-fold increased risk of OPSCC. ADAM5 shared a highly homologous sequence with the ADAM9 3′-UTR, predicted to be a binding site for miR-122b-5p. Individuals carrying more than three copies of ADAM3A and ADAM5 presented higher ADAM9 expression levels. Moreover, patients with total deletion or one copy of pseudogenes and with higher expression of miR-122b-5p presented worse prognoses. Our data suggest, for the first time, that ADAM3A and ADAM5 pseudogene-inherited CNV could modulate OPSCC occurrence and prognosis, possibly through the interaction of ADAM5 pseudogene transcript, miR-122b-5p, and ADAM9.

Theranostic Nuclear Medicine is based on the idea of combining the same molecule (or drug) with different radioisotopes for both diagnosis and treatment, a concept that emerged in the early 1940s with the use of radioactive iodine for thyroid diseases. Theranostic Nuclear Medicine has since expanded to diseases of higher incidence, such as prostate cancer, with several imaging methods used to assess the extent of the disease and the corresponding radiopharmaceuticals used for treatment. For example, by detecting osteoblastic metastases by bone scintigraphy, corresponding radiopharmaceuticals with therapeutic properties can be administered to eliminate or reduce pain associated with metastases and/or determine overall survival gain. The purpose of this review is to discuss the role of Theranostic Nuclear Medicine in prostate cancer, addressing the main diagnostic imaging studies with their corresponding treatments in the Theranostic model.