The Diagnostic Efficacy and Biological Effects of microRNA-29b for Colon Cancer

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide in terms of both incidence and mortality. The associations of expressions of tissue and plasma miR-29b were not detected in this study.

Methods: There are 400 healthy age- and gender-matched controls enrolled in this study in a rate of 1:2. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was undertaken using the expression level for miR-29b in the colorectal cancer specimens from patients with cancer and healthy controls to assess the diagnostic accuracy of both tissue and plasma miR-29b levels.

Results: It was found that the expression of plasma miR-29b is associated with the tissue miR-29b. Advanced study showed that aberrant miR-29b expression in both cancer tissues and plasma is associated with the clinicopathological data of patients with colorectal cancer. Tissue miR-29b showed an AUC of 0.883, with a sensitivity of 81.6% and a specificity of 84.9%. However, the AUC for plasma miR-29b was 0.743, with a sensitivity of 61.4% and a specificity of 72.5%. The analyses of the biological effects of miR-29b for colorectal cancer showed that miR-29b could inhibit the cell viability and migration.

Conclusion: In summary, our data suggest that both the tissue and the plasma miR-29b levels have some value as a diagnostic tool for colorectal cancer. Advanced biological effects were conducted to detect the potential effect on the cell viability and migration. Future investigations including larger patient populations and patients with early-stage colorectal cancer are needed to confirm the potential diagnostic value of miRNA-29b in colorectal cancer.