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Can Circulating MicroRNAs Become the Test of Choice for Colorectal Cancer?

  • Translational Colorectal Oncology (Y Jiang, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Colorectal Cancer Reports

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA strings of 19–25 nucleotides, encoded by eukaryotic genomic DNA, which function in the posttranscriptional regulation of target gene expression via base pairing with complementary sequences in messenger RNAs (mRNAs), to induce mRNA degradation and translational inhibition. Aberrant miRNA modifications occur at a very early stage in colorectal cancer (CRC) development and are widely described as essential players in its progression. As circulating cell-free miRNAs have become identified, the potential of cell-free miRNAs in the blood or other body fluids for use as biomarkers for cancer detection has become increasingly evident. In this review, we summarize the progress of miRNA analyses as noninvasive biomarkers for cancer detection, estimation of prognosis, and prediction of chemotherapeutic agent response in CRC. We also discuss the obstacles that have limited the routine use of miRNA biomarkers in the clinical setting and describe how these obstacles could be overcome.

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Conflict of Interest

Mikio Kawamura, Yuji Toiyama, Koji Tanaka, Yasuhiro Inoue, Yasuhiko Mohri, and Masato Kusunoki declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastrointestinal and Pediatric Surgery, Division of Reparative Medicine, Institute of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie, 514-8507, Japan

    Mikio Kawamura, Yuji Toiyama, Koji Tanaka, Yasuhiro Inoue, Yasuhiko Mohri & Masato Kusunoki

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  1. Mikio Kawamura
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  2. Yuji Toiyama
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Correspondence to Yuji Toiyama.

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Kawamura, M., Toiyama, Y., Tanaka, K. et al. Can Circulating MicroRNAs Become the Test of Choice for Colorectal Cancer?. Curr Colorectal Cancer Rep 10, 403–410 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11888-014-0240-7

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