Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently the third and the second most common cancer in men and in women, respectively. Every year, more than one million new CRC cases and more than half a million deaths are reported worldwide. The majority of new cases occur in developed countries. Current screening methods have significant limitations. Therefore, a lot of scientific effort is put into the development of new diagnostic biomarkers of CRC. Currently used prognostic markers are also limited in assessing the effectiveness of CRC therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a promising subject of research especially since single miRNA can recognize a variety of different mRNA transcripts. MiRNAs have important roles in epigenetic regulation of basic cellular processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and migration, and may serve as potential oncogenes or tumor suppressors during cancer development. Indeed, in a large variety of human tumors, including CRC, significant distortions in miRNA expression profiles have been observed. Thus, the use of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in cancer, particularly in CRC, appears to be an inevitable consequence of the advancement in oncology and gastroenterology. Here, we review the literature to discuss the potential usefulness of selected miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in CRC.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for about 10% of all cancer cases worldwide
Xia et al [44] showed in a meta-analysis of miR-21 expression profiles of 1174 CRC tissue samples that overexpression of this miRNA is associated with low overall survival (OS), but there was no correlation with the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level
The results suggest that serum miR-378 levels may be useful for differentiating CRC patients from healthy subjects, but that miR-378 is synthesized in the tumor tissue and its concentration is associated with tumor mass and possible recurrence
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for about 10% of all cancer cases worldwide. The latest Global Cancer Observatory data from 2012 estimates that nearly 1.4 million new cases of CRC and over 694,000 deaths were reported. MiRNA profiling may be a new and valuable tool in the diagnosis and prognosis of many types of cancer, including CRC Knowledge in this area still remains fragmented, and previous studies were conducted only on small groups of patients. Stool is suitable for miRNA expression analysis In both cases, the material is readily available, which makes it possible to identify potential biomarkers at any stage during and after the therapy, e.g., for early detection of cancer recurrence. Advantages of Using miRNA: Easy detection in various biological materials (serum/plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, faeces) High stability of miRNA molecules Ability to determine specific types of cancer, and predict response to therapy and prognosis based on miRNA expression profile Potential for use as antagonists in cancer therapy
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