Prospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Apr 15, 2020; 12(4): 492-502
Published online Apr 15, 2020. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v12.i4.492
Expression and significance of miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p in patients with colon cancer
Ping Li, Jia-Xun Cai, Fei Han, Jie Wang, Jia-Jie Zhou, Kai-Wen Shen, Liu-Hua Wang
Ping Li, Department of Central Laboratory, Huaian Tumor Hospital & Huaian Hospital of Huaian City, Huaian 223200, Jiangsu Province, China
Ping Li, Department of General Surgery, Huaian Tumor Hospital & Huaian Hospital of Huaian City, Huaian 223200, Jiangsu Province, China
Jia-Xun Cai, Department of Anorectal, Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University and Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Fei Han, Jie Wang, Jia-Jie Zhou, Kai-Wen Shen, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
Liu-Hua Wang, Department of General Surgery, General Surgery Institute of Yangzhou, Northern Jiangsu Province Hospital, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Li P, Cai JX, Wang J and Han F contributed equally to this work. Li P, Wang J and Han F conceived, designed and drafted the paper; Wang LH provided supervision and review; Wang J and Han F conducted the statistical analyses; Zhou JJ and Shen KW contacted the authors of the included studies to obtain additional information; All of the authors approved the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication.
Institutional review board statement: This project was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committees of the participating institutions.
Clinical trial registration statement: This study is registered at clinical hospital center "Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University (Northern Jiangsu Province Hospital)" Trial registry. The registration identification number is 2018KY-138.A separate document was uploaded as a proof of registry.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Data sharing statement: There is no additional data available.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Liu-Hua Wang, FRCS (Hon), MD, Doctor, Surgeon, Department of General Surgery, General Surgery Institute of Yangzhou, Northern Jiangsu Province Hospital, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Nantong Road No. 98, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China. wlh1118ok@sina.com
Received: November 26, 2019
Peer-review started: November 26, 2019
First decision: January 14, 2020
Revised: February 5, 2020
Accepted: March 12, 2020
Article in press: March 12, 2020
Published online: April 15, 2020
Processing time: 140 Days and 19.5 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

The relationship between microRNAs (miRNAs), such as miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p, and the prognosis of colon cancer has not been studied until now. It is the first time that our study found that Upregulated miR-654-5p and downregulated miR-376b-3p may be associated with tumour progression in colon cancer.

Research background

Colon cancer is the third most common malignancy and a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Extensive studies have revealed new diagnostic and prognostic markers based on novel molecular networks, but only a few of these tests are recommended for daily practice because of their limited diagnostic and prognostic performance. This study evaluated the expression levels of miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p and their clinical significance in colon cancer. In this present study, we found that upregulated miR-654-5p and downregulated miR-376b-3p may be associated with tumour progression in colon cancer, and these miRNAs may serve as independent prognostic markers for colon cancer.

Research objectives

Evaluated the expression levels of miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p and their clinical significance in colon cancer.

Research methods

Tumour and adjacent noncancerous tissue samples of 34 patients (68 samples in total) were obtained from the Department of General Surgery, Northern Jiangsu Province Hospital. We retrieved the registered data of colon cancer patients from the TCGA data portal (https://cancergenome.nih.gov/) in January 2019. Demographic information, such as age and sex, and cancer characteristics, such as cancer location and status, were collected. RT-qPCR was performed using the SYBR detection system. A total of 68 samples were tested for the estimation of miRNAs. miRNA expression was quantified using the delta delta CT (∆∆Ct) method. Average crossing point (Ct) values were obtained for the housekeeping gene of the selected miRNAs under control and experimental conditions. SPSS software (v.19.0; IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL, United States) was used to statistically analyse all the results. Analysis of variance and least significance difference post hoc tests were used to analyse miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p expression. Student’s t-test, Pearson’s χ2 test, and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare measurement data. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyse overall survival, and the log-rank test was uses to evaluate differences in survival. Cox’s proportional hazards regression model was performed for an independent prognosis. P ≤ 0.05 indicated a statistically significant difference.

Research results

miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p showed significant differences between tumour tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues. Correlation of miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p expression in colon cancer with clinicopathological features. High miR-654-5p expression and low miR-376b-3p expression are associated with a poor prognosis and the aggressive progression of colon cancer. miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p serve as independent prognostic markers for the survival of patients with colon cancer.

Research conclusions

Upregulated miR-654-5p and downregulated miR-376b-3p may be associated with tumour progression in colon cancer, and these miRNAs may serve as independent prognostic markers for colon cancer.

Research perspectives

Our study provides sensitive and accurate biomarkers that may aid in the prognosis of colon cancer. However, sustained effort is required to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms by which miR-654-5p and miR-376b-3p may improve colon cancer metastasis.