Decrease in blood miR-296 predicts chemotherapy resistance and poor clinical outcome in patients receiving systemic chemotherapy for metastatic colon cancer

摘要

Dear Editor: MicroRNA (miRNA) is a new class of small, noncoding RNA that can regulate the expression of multiple genes. miRNAs have been implicated in a diverse number of cellular processes including cell proliferation, apoptosis, regulation of embryonic stem cell development, and cancer cell invasion. Recent studies have shown that, unlike other types of biomarkers, miRNAs in the circulation are remarkably stable making them robust and reliable biomarkers of cancer. We aim to investigate if specific miRNA(s) in the blood can provide a valuable noninvasive tool in predicting clinical outcome of patients enrolled in a phase II clinical trial of Sunitinib and Capecitabine in first-line treatment of metastatic colon cancer. Eight patients were enrolled in the trial and received Sunitinib 37.5 mg orally once daily and Capecitabine 1,000 mg orally twice daily.