Possible Advances For Non-Invasive Colorectal Cancer Screening

For those who avoid the colonoscopy because of its invasive nature, here is a sample of some research in the field of detection.

BACKGROUND: 

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death around the world. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that often are abnormally expressed in tumors. Detection and quantitation of miRNAs may provide information for the screening and early diagnosis of CRC.

OBJECTIVES:

The objective of our study was to determine whether fecal microRNAs (miR-29a, miR-145, miR-223, miR-224) could be used as biomarkers for the screening and early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

METHODS: 

We carried out a retrospective analysis of the miRNAs in fecal samples from 80 CRC patients and 51 normal controls. The levels of 4 miRNAs (miR-29a, miR-145, miR-223, and miR-224) were quantitated using the SYBR Green miScript PCR system and 2 - Δ Δ Ct method.

RESULTS:

Our data indicated that the expression levels of miR-29a (p< 0.001), miR-223 (p< 0.001) and miR-224 (p< 0.001) are significantly lower in feces from CRC patients than these from normal volunteers, whereas their miR-145 levels are not significantly different (p= 0.59). Interestingly, the level of miR-29a (p< 0.001) in feces from individuals with rectum cancer is also significantly higher than that from patients with colon cancer.

CONCLUSION: 

The reduced expression of miR-29a, miR-223, and miR-224 in the feces from CRC patients could be an informative biomarker for screening and early diagnosis of CRC.

As recent posts have made clear, I have had my colonoscopy done, but I understand that many people want to avoid it. Any type of detection, even the blood stool tests, is better than nothing, and non-invasive testing continues to become more sophisticated.