Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 10, 2025
Cell-Free DNA Integrity Analysis in Urine Samples
Published on: January 5, 2017
Significance of Plasma UCA1 for Predicting Colorectal Cancer and BRAF Mutation Status
Tomohito Maeda1, Hirotaka Konishi2, Wataru Takaki1
1Division of Digestive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Background:
Clinical significance of plasma urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. This study investigated the usefulness of plasma UCA1 as a biomarker in patients with CRC.
Materials And Methods:
UCA1 levels were measured in the plasma and tissue from patients with CRC by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Relationships between plasma UCA1 and clinicopathological features were examined.
Results:
Plasma UCA1 levels were significantly lower in patients with CRC than in healthy volunteers. UCA1 expression in B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase (BRAF)-mutant CRC tissue was also lower than that in non-cancerous tissue, although it was higher in CRC with wild-type BRAF. In right-sided CRC, a lower plasma UCA1 level was associated with pT4 and BRAF mutation. In contrast, in left-sided CRC, higher plasma UCA1 was associated with pT4 and pStage 3b-4.
Conclusion:
Plasma UCA1 is a useful biomarker for CRC detection and predicting clinicopathological features, particularly BRAF mutation.
