Clinical Significance of Mir-221 in Colorectal Cancer
Amal F. Gharib
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt and Department of Clinical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Science, Taif University, KSA.
Abdel Rhman Nasser Alghamdi
Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Taif University, KSA.
Mosfer Nasser Alghamdi
Department of Gastro and Hepatology, Alhada Armed Forces Hospital, Taif, KSA.
Ahmed El Askary
Department of Clinical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Science, Taif University, KSA and Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine (New Damietta), Al Azhar University, Egypt.
Wael H. Elsawy *
Department of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University Egypt.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: MicroRNA-221 plays an important role in a number of human malignancies. The present study was conducted to shed light on the role of mir-221in colorectal cancer as regards the initiation of malignant process and progression.
Methods: Real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the levels of mir-221 in 92 patients with colorectal cancer and in their adjacent non-cancerous tissues and to explore the relation between mir-221 level and clinical and pathological features of the disease.
Results: Mir-221 was up-regulated in 90.2% (83/92) of colorectal cancer tissue samples compared with their adjacent non-cancerous tissue samples. The high expression of mir-221 was significantly correlated to tumor size and infiltration, clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that over expression of mir-221 was an unfavorable prognostic indicator for overall survival in colorectal cancer patients.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest mir-221 may be used as a prognostic marker in CRC and it needs more studies to be used as a potential diagnostic marker and as a molecular target for targeted cancer therapy.
Keywords: Colorectal cancer, mir-221, RT-PCR.