The following is a summary of “Diagnostic potential of miR-196a-1 in colorectal cancer,” published in the February 2024 issue of Oncology by Mehrjoei et al.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignancy globally, and microRNAs (miRNAs) emerge as crucial epigenetic factors influencing diverse physiological and pathological processes by acting as negative gene expression regulators. This study marks the pioneering evaluation of miR-196a-1 expression levels in both tissue and plasma samples of CRC patients, with a focus on the homeobox D8 (HOXD8) gene as its target.
The research involved 220 samples (plasma and tissue) from 55 CRC patients and 55 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Total RNA extraction, polyadenylation, and cDNA synthesis preceded the quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) assay to assess miR-196a-1 and HOXD8 expression. Comparative diagnostic analyses employing Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves, revealed miR-196a-1’s discriminative potential in CRC, outperforming traditional circulating tumor markers CA19-9 and CEA. Notably, miR-196a-1 demonstrated 89% sensitivity and 98% specificity in tissue samples (AUC: 0.925) and 70% sensitivity and 98% specificity in plasma samples (AUC: 0.801). The findings underscore miR-196a-1 as a valuable noninvasive biomarker for CRC detection.
Importantly, while HOXD8 expression showed no significant alteration in tumor tissue samples compared to adjacent normal tissues, the study sheds light on the oncogenic impact and pivotal role of miR-196a-1 in CRC development. In conclusion, this research elucidates the diagnostic potential of miR-196a-1 and its utility as a novel, noninvasive biomarker in CRC, offering promising prospects for improved detection strategies in colorectal cancer.
Source: bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-024-11881-y