World J Gastrointest Oncol. May 15, 2016; 8(5): 416-426 Published online May 15, 2016. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v8.i5.416
MicroRNA in rectal cancer
Azadeh Azizian, Jens Gruber, B Michael Ghadimi, Jochen Gaedcke
Azadeh Azizian, B Michael Ghadimi, Jochen Gaedcke, Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
Jens Gruber, Junior Research Group Medical RNA Biology, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Author contributions: All authors equally contributed to this paper with conception and design of the study, literature review and analysis, drafting and critical revision and editing, and final approval of the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest. No financial support.
Correspondence to: Jochen Gaedcke, MD, Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. jochen.gaedcke@med.uni-goettingen.de
Telephone: +49-551-3920933 Fax: +49-551-3912550
Received: October 3, 2015 Peer-review started: October 4, 2015 First decision: November 13, 2015 Revised: December 1, 2015 Accepted: March 7, 2016 Article in press: March 9, 2016 Published online: May 15, 2016 Processing time: 220 Days and 7 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: In rectal cancer, a proper staging of the disease determines the subsequent therapy. Also, prediction of prognosis or therapy response could serve to individualize therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved regulators of gene expression, and seem to be promising candidates for biomarkers. Several miRNAs are part of a specific expression profile in rectal cancer tissue, while others have been correlated to clinical parameters and therapy response. However the comparison of different studies shows only little overlap and even partly oppositional results. Differences between analytical methods and tissue storage types can contribute to that. Further functional analyses are needed to fully understand the impact of miRNAs in rectal cancer.
