Circulating miR-21 and miR-181a as Biomarkers for Predicting Postoperative Complications Following Colorectal Cancer...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Surgical Research

Background:

• Postoperative complications (POCs) are a significant challenge in colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery.
• Reliable molecular biomarkers are needed for early detection of POCs.
• This study investigates plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictive value of plasma miR-21 and miR-181a for POCs after left-sided CRC resection.
• To assess the correlation of these miRNAs with inflammatory markers.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal observational sub-study within a randomized controlled trial.
• Measurement of plasma miR-21 and miR-181a preoperatively and on postoperative day 6 using RT-qPCR.
• Assessment of POCs using Clavien-Dindo classification.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for discriminative performance.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in plasma miR-21 or miR-181a levels between patients with and without POCs.
• Limited discriminative ability of individual miRNAs (AUC = 0.61 for miR-21, 0.54 for miR-181a).
• Combined model of miR-181a and TNF-α showed improved prediction (AUC = 0.76).

Conclusions:

• Plasma miR-21 and miR-181a have limited predictive value for POCs in CRC surgery at baseline or postoperative day 6.
• Combination with inflammatory markers like TNF-α may enhance predictive capabilities.
• Larger studies with optimized sampling are needed to explore dynamic biomarker changes.