“Tissue and/or Serum Expression levels of miRNA-31 and miRNA-141 as potential diagnostic markers for Colon Cancer in Egyptian Patients”

Cancer colon is the most common cancer of the digestive tract representing the third most common cancer. MiRNAs regulate 30% of human genes. They can act as oncogenes and tumor suppressors. MiRNA-31 expression level is altered in many cancers; it is increased in squamous cell carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma, but significantly decreased in gastric, breast, and prostate cancer. MiRNA-141 is an important member of the miR-200 family regulates different cellular processes, such as proliferation and angiogenesis. The study aimed to determine the tissue and serum expression of miR-31 and miR-141 in Egyptian patients with cancer colon. Fifty subjects were enrolled in this study. They were divided into 2 groups; Group I: 25 newly diagnosed stage II and III primary cancer colon patients, and Group II: 25 healthy controls. Increased expression of miRNA-31 in cancerous tissue more than adjacent noncancerous tissue was observed. Regarding miRNA-141; there was a significant increase in serum miRNA-141 in cancer colon group than the control group. A ROC curve showed that AUC for serum miRNA-141 was 0.869. This suggests the possible use of serum miRNA-141 in diagnosis of CC.