Cancer Management and Research (Aug 2023)
Potential Diagnostic Utility of microRNAs in Gastrointestinal Cancers
Abstract
Wojciech Jelski,1 Barbara Mroczko1,2 1Department of Biochemical Diagnostics, Medical University, Bialystok, Poland; 2Department of Neurodegeneration Diagnostics, Medical University, Bialystok, PolandCorrespondence: Wojciech Jelski, Department of Biochemical Diagnostics, Medical University, Waszyngtona 15 A, Bialystok, 15– 269, Poland, Tel +48 85 746 8587, Fax +48 85 746 8585, Email [email protected]: Early detection of gastrointestinal cancers is beneficial for patient survival and prognosis. MiRNAs have been shown to be potential cancer biomarkers that can be used to diagnose cancers. MiRNAs are single-stranded, small non-coding RNAs that are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of the expression of different oncogenes. Cancer tissues contain miRNAs that play a special role in the etiology of cancer development or limiting cancer suppression. Dysregulation of miRNAs occurs in a variety of malignancies, including gastrointestinal cancers. MiRNAs are stable and protected against degradation by RNase, which enables their detection in tissues and biological fluids. The results of many studies suggest that miRNAs have a relatively higher diagnostic efficiency in distinguishing cancer patients from healthy people. The researchers have identified many miRNA signature in the blood for the detection of gastrointestinal cancers. This review focuses on the role and potential utility of miRNAs in the early detection, prognosis and evaluation of the treatment effectiveness of gastrointestinal cancers.Keywords: miRNA, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, diagnosis
