MicroRNA-based signature for diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer using residuum of fecal immunochemical test

Systematic scoping review: Use of the faecal immunochemical test residual buffer to enhance colorectal cancer screening

BACKGROUND

The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is an inexpensive and convenient modality to screen for colorectal cancer. However, its one-time sensitivity for detecting colorectal cancer and cancer precursors is limited. There is growing interest in using the non-haemoglobin contents of FIT residual buffer to enhance colonic neoplasia detection.

AIM

To establish from the literature a framework to catalogue candidate biomarkers within FIT residual buffer for non-invasive colorectal cancer screening.

METHODS

The search strategy evaluated PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar for publications through 25 October 2023, with search terms including FIT, buffer, OC-sensor, biomarkers, microbiome, microRNA (miR), colon, rectum, screening, neoplasm, and early detection. Studies employing home-based collection samples using quantitative FIT first processed for haemoglobin were included. One author reviewed all articles; a second author completed a 20% full-text audit to ensure adherence to eligibility criteria.

RESULTS

A broad search yielded 1669 studies and application of eligibility criteria identified 18 relevant studies. Multiple protein, DNA/RNA, and microbiome biomarkers (notably haptoglobin, miR-16, miR-27a-3p, miR-92a, miR-148a-3p, miR-223, miR-421, let-7b-5p, and Tyzzerella 4) were associated with colorectal neoplasia. Furthermore, studies highlighted the short-term stability of biomarkers for clinical use and long-term stability for research purposes.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review summarises the framework and progress of research on stability of biomarkers in FIT residual buffer and their associations with colorectal neoplasia to guide opportunities for further confirmatory studies to enhance colorectal cancer screening.

SnoRNA profiling in colorectal cancer and assessment of non-invasive biomarker capacity by ddPCR in fecal samples

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) have been identified dysregulated in several pathologies, and these alterations can be detected in tissues and in circulation. The main aim of this study was to analyze the whole snoRNome in advanced colorectal neoplasms and to identify new potential non-invasive snoRNA-based biomarkers in fecal samples by different analytical approaches. SNORA51, SNORD15B, SNORA54, SNORD12B, SNORD12C, SNORD72, SNORD89, and several members of SNORD115 and SNORD116 clusters were consistently deregulated in both tissue sets. After technical validation, SNORA51 and SNORD15B were detected in FIT+ samples. SNORA51 was significantly upregulated in FIT+ samples from CRC patients compared to healthy controls. This upregulation, together with the fecal hemoglobin concentration, was sufficient to identify, among FIT+ individuals, patients with CRC (AUC = 0.86) and individuals with advanced adenomas (AUC = 0.68). These findings portray snoRNAs as an alternative source of candidates for further studies and SNORA51 appears as a potential non-invasive biomarker for CRC detection.

MicroRNA Biomarkers as Promising Tools for Early Colorectal Cancer Screening-A Comprehensive Review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most prevalent cancer worldwide. Early detection of this neoplasia has proven to improve prognosis, resulting in a 90% increase in survival. However, available CRC screening methods have limitations, requiring the development of new tools. MicroRNA biomarkers have emerged as a powerful screening tool, as they are highly expressed in CRC patients and easily detectable in several biological samples. While microRNAs are extensively studied in blood samples, recent interest has now arisen in other samples, such as stool samples, where they can be combined with existing screening methods. Among the microRNAs described in the literature, microRNA-21-5p and microRNA-92a-3p and their cluster have demonstrated high potential for early CRC screening. Furthermore, the combination of multiple microRNAs has shown improved performance in CRC detection compared to individual microRNAs. This review aims to assess the available data in the literature on microRNAs as promising biomarkers for early CRC screening, explore their advantages and disadvantages, and discuss the optimal study characteristics for analyzing these biomarkers.

Down to earth - A new type of hygiene

In the current issue of the Biomedical Journal a special section introduces the influence earthing (or lack thereof) has on the human body. A variety of enlightening articles elaborate how electromagnetic hygiene involving earthing may lower the occurrence of various diseases, reduce inflammation, improve sleep and help maintain a well-functioning circadian rhythm. Another article has a closer look at the connection between sunspot extrema and pandemics, and the relief grounding may exert on the main complications encountered in COVID-19 infection. This issue furthermore contains articles about the principles and safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, the use of lidocaine against the cytokine storm triggered by SARS-CoV-2, and hypocalcemia as predictive marker in COVID-19. The reader learns about two miRNAs playing a role in colorectal cancer, diffusion characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid, and an approach of rotational radiography leading to a lower radiation exposure. The final articles present the use of dynamic arthroscopy to refine diagnosis of the origin of shoulder pain, the application of traditional Chinese medicine in analysis of chronic kidney disease, and an exchange concerning neuroimaging abnormalities in pediatric COVID-19 cases.

Can microRNAs be utilized as tumor markers for recurrence following nephrectomy in renal cell carcinoma patients? A meta-analysis provides the answer

INTRODUCTION

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an aggressive tumor. Many studies investigated microRNAs (miRs) as RCC prognostic biomarkers, often reporting inconsistent findings. We present a meta-analysis to identify if tissue-derived miRs can be used as a prognostic factor in patients after nephrectomy.

METHODS

Data were obtained from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. The hazard ratio with 95% confidence intervals assessed the prognostic value of microRNAs. Outcomes of interest included the prognosis role of microRNAs in overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in nephrectomy patients.

RESULTS

Nine retrospective studies that evaluated microRNAs in 1,541 nephrectomy patients were collected. There were heterogeneities across studies for microRNAs in the 15 studies examining OS, RFS, and CSS (I² = 84.51%; P < 0.01); the random-effect model was calculated (HR = 1.371; (95% CI: 0.831-2.260); P = 0.216).

CONCLUSION

Our study indicated that miRNAs cannot be used as a marker for recurrence in RCC patients after nephrectomy, and researchers shouldn't make the mistake that if miRs can be used as a biomarker in RCC, they cannot be used as a marker after nephrectomy in RCC. As all of these findings were from retrospective studies, further studies are needed to verify the role of microRNAs in clinical trials.

Use of Personalized Biomarkers in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer and the Impact of AI

Colorectal cancer is a major cause of cancer-related death worldwide and is correlated with genetic and epigenetic alterations in the colonic epithelium. Genetic changes play a major role in the pathophysiology of colorectal cancer through the development of gene mutations, but recent research has shown an important role for epigenetic alterations. In this review, we try to describe the current knowledge about epigenetic alterations, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, as well as the role of non-coding RNAs as epigenetic regulators and the prognostic and predictive biomarkers in metastatic colorectal disease that can allow increases in the effectiveness of treatments. Additionally, the intestinal microbiota’s composition can be an important biomarker for the response to strategies based on the immunotherapy of CRC. The identification of biomarkers in mCRC can be enhanced by developing artificial intelligence programs. We present the actual models that implement AI technology as a bridge connecting ncRNAs with tumors and conducted some experiments to improve the quality of the model used as well as the speed of the model that provides answers to users. In order to carry out this task, we implemented six algorithms: the naive Bayes classifier, the random forest classifier, the decision tree classifier, gradient boosted trees, logistic regression and SVM.