Identification of microRNA-451a as a Novel Circulating Biomarker for Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis

Background. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Successful treatment of CRC relies on accurate early diagnosis, which is currently a challenge due to its complexity and personalized pathologies. Thus, novel molecular biomarkers are needed for early CRC detection. Methods. Gene and microRNA microarray profiling of CRC tissues and miRNA-seq data were analyzed. Candidate microRNA biomarkers were predicted using both CRC-specific network and miRNA-BD tool. Validation analyses were carried out to interrogate the identified candidate CRC biomarkers. Results. We identified miR-451a as a potential early CRC biomarker circulating in patient’s serum. The dysregulation of miR-451a was revealed both in primary tumors and in patients’ sera. Downstream analysis validated the tumor suppressor role of miR-451a and high sensitivity of miR-451a in CRC patients, further confirming its potential role as CRC circulation biomarker. Conclusion. The miR-451a is a potential circulating biomarker for early CRC diagnosis.

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High Expression of sLex Associated with Poor Survival in Argentinian Colorectal Cancer Patients

The International Journal of Biological Markers ◽

10.5301/jbm.5000060 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. e30-e39 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ariel Zwenger ◽

Martin Rabassa ◽

Sandra Demichelis ◽

Gabriel Grossman ◽

Amada Segal-Eiras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Normal Mucosa ◽

Poor Survival ◽

Primary Tumors ◽

Metastatic Lymph Nodes ◽

Metastatic Lymph ◽

Colorectal Cancer Patients

Aim Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies in Argentina with 11,043 new cases and 6,596 deaths estimated to have occurred in 2008. The present study was developed to clarify the differential expression of MUC1, MUC2, sLex, and sLea in colorectal cancer patients and their relationship with survival and clinical and histological features. Methods Ninety primary tumor samples and 43 metastatic lymph nodes from CRC patients were studied; follow-up was documented. Twenty-six adenoma and 68 histological normal mucosa specimens were analyzed. An immunohistochemical approach was applied and statistical analysis was performed. Results In tumor samples, MUC1, sLea, and sLex were highly expressed (94%, 67%, and 91%, respectively); also, we found a significantly increased expression of the 3 antigens in primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes compared with normal mucosa and adenomas. MUC2 was expressed in 52% of both normal mucosa and CRC samples; this reactivity significantly decreased in metastatic lymph nodes (p<0.05). A multiple comparison analysis showed that MUC1 and sLex discriminated among 3 groups: normal, adenoma, and CRC tissues. The increase of sLex expression showed an association with recurrence, and survival analysis showed that a high sLex staining was significantly associated with a poor survival. By multivariate analysis MUC1 inmunoreactivity correlated positively and significantly with tumor size, while MUC2 expression showed the opposite correlation. Conclusions The correlation of sLex overexpression in primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes, the discrimination among the normal, adenoma, and CRC groups based on sLex expression, as well as its association with recurrence and survival, all suggest a prognostic role of sLex in Argentinian CRC patients.

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