BACKGROUND: Screening for the early detection of colorectal cancer is important to improve patient survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of circulating cell-free miRNAs as biomarkers of CRC, and their efficiency at delineating patients with polyps and benign adenomas from normal and cancer patient groups. METHODS: The expression of 667 miRNAs was assessed in a discovery set of 48 plasma samples comprising normal, polyp, adenoma, and early and advanced cancer samples. Three miRNAs (miR-34a, miR-150, and miR-923) were further examined in a validation cohort of 97 subjects divided into the same five groups, and in an independent public dataset of 40 CRC samples and paired normal tissues. RESULTS: High levels of circulating miR-34a and low miR-150 levels distinguished groups of patients with polyps from those with advanced cancer (AUC = 0.904), and low circulating miR-150 levels separated patients with adenomas from those with advanced cancer (AUC = 0.875). In addition, the altered expression of miR-34a and miR-150 in an independent public dataset of forty CRC samples and paired normal tissues was confirmed. CONCLUSION: We identified two circulating miRNAs capable of distinguishing patient groups with different diseases of the colon from each other, and patients with advanced cancer from benign disease groups.

1st Medical Faculty of Charles University and Thomayer Hospital Prague Czech Republic

Department of Biology Maynooth University Maynooth Co Maynooth Co Kildare Ireland

Department of Colorectal Surgery AMNCH Hospital Dublin 24 Ireland

Department of Physiology and Medical Physics and Centre for Systems Medicine Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Dublin 2 Ireland

Human Genetics Foundation Turin Italy

Institute of Experimental Medicine Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Prague Czech Republic

Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer Ireland National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology Dublin City University Glasnevin Dublin 9 Ireland

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Colorectal Adenomas-Genetics and Searching for New Molecular Screening Biomarkers

Evidence that circulating proteins are more promising than miRNAs for identification of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue