title: Suitability of circulating miRNAs as potential prognostic markers in colorectal cancer.
abstract: miRNAs are crucial in cellular processes and have been shown to be abnormally expressed in cancer tissue and the circulation. Circulating miRNAs may serve as a novel class of minimally invasive biomarkers for prognosis. Within a first methodologic study, we evaluated the miRNA profile kinetics in the plasma of patients with colorectal cancer after surgical tumor removal to identify potential suitability as prognostic biomarkers. This pilot study is based on the ColoCare Study, a cohort study of newly diagnosed patients with stage I-IV colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer pre- and postsurgical blood (2-7 days after surgery) and 6 months follow-up blood from 35 patients were examined and candidate miRNAs were investigated in the plasma. miRNA levels were measured by two-step qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed using log-transformed normalized CT values using SAS 9.3. Comparing pre- and postsurgical miRNA levels revealed a statistically significant decrease of nine circulating miRNAs after surgery (miR92a, miR18a, miR320a, miR106a, miR16-2, miR20a, miR223, miR17, and miR143). Analyses of plasma levels over all three time points demonstrated a statistically significant decrease from presurgery to postsurgery and re-increase from postsurgery to the six months follow-up time point of four circulating miRNAs (miR92a, miR320a, miR106a, and miR18a). We were able to show for the first time that in plasma miRNA profiles change within days after colorectal cancer surgery. Our results underscore the role of the investigated miRNAs in colorectal cancer and their potential utility as prognostic biomarkers. See all the articles in this CEBP Focus section, "Biomarkers, Biospecimens, and New Technologies in Molecular Epidemiology."
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ristau
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Staffa
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schrotz-King
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Biljana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gigic
authors.affiliation: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Karen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Makar
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoffmeister
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Herrmann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany. German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany. nina.habermann@nct-heidelberg.de neli.ulrich@nct-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Cornelia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany. Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany. nina.habermann@nct-heidelberg.de neli.ulrich@nct-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Habermann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs