Sistema Gastrointestinal e Digestivo

Abstrato

Fecal miRNAS as Biomarkers for the Detection of Colorectal Cancer

Yung-Bin Kuo, Err-Cheng Chan, Jinn-Shiun Chen, Fa-kuen Shieh

As the third most common type of cancer, colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. A major priority in the management of CRC is screening. Therefore, the search for new noninvasive biomarkers to facilitate the early detection of CRC is particularly warranted. The detection of molecular markers from fecal samples is a potential strategy for CRC screening. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of highly conserved endogenous short non-coding RNA transcripts; they play critical roles in carcinogenesis, and aberrant expression of miRNAs has been observed in various types of cancer, including CRC. Their unique stability makes fecal miRNAs promising as biomarkers for the early diagnosis of CRC. In this review, we explored the literature and summarized the role miRNAs play in CRC, focusing specifically on the potential diagnostic utility of fecal miRNA as biomarkers.