Review
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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2014; 20(45): 17011-17019
Published online Dec 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i45.17011
MicroRNAs in colorectal cancer: Role in metastasis and clinical perspectives
Shan Muhammad, Kavanjit Kaur, Rui Huang, Qian Zhang, Paviter Kaur, Hamza Obaid Yazdani, Muhammad Umar Bilal, Jiang Zheng, Liu Zheng, Xi-Shan Wang
Shan Muhammad, Kavanjit Kaur, Rui Huang, Qian Zhang, Hamza Obaid Yazdani, Jiang Zheng, Liu Zheng, Xi-Shan Wang, Colorectal Cancer Department, the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 150001 Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
Paviter Kaur, Muhammad Umar Bilal, Harbin Medical University, 150001 Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
Author contributions: Muhammad S collected the data and wrote the manuscript; Huang R, Zhang Q, Yazdani HO, Bilal MU, Zheng J and Zheng L helped with data collection; Kaur K revised the manuscript and helped with data collection; Kaur P revised the manuscript; and Wang XS edited the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Xi-Shan Wang, Professor, Colorectal Cancer Department, the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Xuefu Rd 246, 150001 Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. nimbus14@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-451-86297661 Fax: +86-451-86297661
Received: April 24, 2014
Revised: June 19, 2014
Accepted: July 29, 2014
Published online: December 7, 2014
Processing time: 230 Days and 11.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are evolutionarily conserved molecules that modulate expression of their target genes post-transcriptionally, and they may participate in various physiological and pathological processes including colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis by influencing various factors in the human body. They have been associated with every step of the CRC metastatic cascade. More recently, miRNAs have been used as biomarkers for CRC early detection. MiRNA-based therapies are have been emphasized recently to treat various pathological conditions.