Circulating Exosomal miRNAs as Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer.

Katiusse Alves Dos Santos,Vivian Nogueira Silbiger,Igor De Farias Domingos,Hériks Gomes Ribeiro,Carollyne Santos Silva,Isabelle Cristina Clemente Dos Santos

doi:10.3390/ijms22010346

Katiusse Alves Dos Santos, Vivian Nogueira Silbiger + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22010346

Copy DOI

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. It is a multifactorial disease that involves environmental factors, genetic factors, and lifestyle factors. Due to the absence of specific and sensitive biomarkers, CRC patients are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and consequently suffer from a low 5-year overall survival rate. Despite improvements in surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy, the prognosis of patients with CRC remains unfavorable due to local and distant metastases. Several studies have shown that small noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs packed in exosomes, are potential biomarkers in various types of cancers, including CRC, and that they can be detected in a stable form in both serum and plasma. In this review, we report the potential of circulating exosomal miRNAs to act as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC.

Highlights

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and the second in women
We present an overview of the role of exosomal miRNAs circulating in serum or plasma in patients with CRC and discuss the variability of the results, seeking to broaden the perspective of the use of miRNAs as potential noninvasive biomarkers of CRC diagnosis and prognosis
To assess the use of circulating exosomal miRNAs as CRC biomarkers, a study was conducted in Japan in 2014

Summary

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and the second in women. The latest data from the Global Cancer Observatory estimated over 1.8 million new cases of CRC and more than 880,000 deaths in 2018 [1]. Obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, age, and family history are among the risk factors for CRC, which has led to an increase in the number of cases in recent years [2]. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT), colonoscopy, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), fecal DNA test, and carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19–9) have low sensitivity and specificity or a high percentage of false-positive results. Colonoscopy is an invasive and expensive procedure [3,4,5]. There is an urgent need to develop noninvasive techniques for the diagnosis and prognosis of this disease, such as by testing for circulating biomarkers

Methods

Results

Conclusion