Role of circulating miRNA-17-3P as a potential diagnostic biomarker for sporadic colon cancer in Egyptian cohort

Background: Cancer colon is one of the leading causes of death and MiRNAs are incorporated in biological pathways that affect tumorigenesis as proved by multiple studies. The present study aimed to investigate whether miR-17-3p is elevated in the plasma free samples of colon cancer patients in correlation with other tumor markers (CEA, CA19.9). Results: MiRNA 17-3P plasma free sample levels were significantly elevated in the plasma free samples of colon cancer patients compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001); on the other hand, serum levels of CA19.9 were significantly higher in colon cancer patients compared to healthy controls while serum levels of CEA were found to be of no statistical significance. Conclusion: The detection miRNA-17-3p may be considered of clinical value for the detection of colon cancer; also, CA19.9 detection was found to significantly increase the sensitivity and specificity of a colon cancer diagnosis.