Gene Expression of MicroRNA-205, FGF2 and CARMA3 in Colorectal Cancer in Iraqi Patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a growing global health concern. This study focuses on evaluating the gene expression of FGF2, CARMA3, and MicroRNA205 (miR205) as potential blood-based biomarkers for early CRC diagnosis by distinguishing patients from healthy controls.

Blood samples from 80 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and 40 healthy controls were analyzed using qRT- PCR to measure target gene expression. ROC curve analysis was performed to evaluate diagnostic accuracy, including sensitivity, specificity, and Area Under the Curve (AUC) values.

MicroRNA-205 revealed downregulation in CRC patients, with an AUC of 0.7, sensitivity of 91%, and specificity of 58%. AUC values for Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) and Caspase Recruitment Domain Family Member 3 (CARMA3) were 0.74 and 0.77, respectively, indicating differential expression. All markers displayed modest specificity, but CARMA3 showed the highest diagnostic accuracy with 95% sensitivity. Gene expression fold change for miR-205 showed downregulation 0.3, FGF2 also showed downregulation 0.4 and CARMA3 showed slight upregulation 1.2.

The results suggest that miR-205, FGF2, and CARMA3 may serve as potential biomarkers for the identification of colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly when used in multi-marker panels to improve diagnostic accuracy. Their clinical utility should be confirmed through additional validation in larger cohorts.