AUTHOR=Glavac Damjan , Hrasovec Sonja TITLE=MicroRNAs as Novel Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics VOLUME=3 YEAR=2012 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2012.00180 DOI=10.3389/fgene.2012.00180 ISSN=1664-8021 ABSTRACT=

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in various physiologic and developmental processes and in the initiation and progression of cancer. This class of small, non-coding RNAs critically regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and evidence suggests that they may function as both oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major healthcare concern worldwide and in order to reduce CRC related deaths, research is aimed into the search for some novel screening approaches. In this sense, miRNAs are rapidly emerging as a novel class of biomarkers, with good potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. This review summarizes the recent findings of the clinicopathological relevance that miRNAs have in CRC initiation, development, and progress, highlighting their potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic use in CRC, focusing on the group of microsatellite instable and the group of hypermethylated CRCs, as well as discussing future prospects.