BACKGROUND: Recent studies showed low expression of microRNA (miR)-101 in various malignancies. However, the association of serum miR-101 and colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unknown. We investigated diagnostic and prognostic significance of serum miR-101 in CRC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 263 consecutive CRC patients and 126 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Serum miR-101 levels were measured using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions. The association between serum miR-101 level and survival outcome was analyzed.

RESULTS: Serum miR-101 in CRC patients was significantly lower than in healthy volunteers (P<0.001). Low serum miR-101 level was significantly associated with advanced cancer stage. Moreover, survival analysis demonstrated that patients with a low serum miR-101 had poorer 5-year overall survival than patients with a high serum miR-101 level (p=0.041). Serum miR-101 level also were confirmed as an independent risk factor for CRC in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 1.468; 95%CI, 0.981–1.976; p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Serum miR-101 level was significantly downregulated in CRC patients and was closely correlated with poor clinical outcome, suggesting that serum miR-101 might be a useful diagnostic and prognostic marker for CRC.

Keywords: Colorectal Neoplasms