The Efficacy of miR-20a as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Main Authors: Laura Moody, Svyatoslav Dvoretskiy, Ruopeng An, Suparna Mantha, Yuan-Xiang Pan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-08-01
• Series: Cancers
• Subjects: microRNA; miR-20a; colorectal cancer; diagnosis; prognosis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/11/8/1111

<i>Background</i>: MicroRNAs have altered expression levels in various diseases and may play an important role in the diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). <i>Methods</i>: We systemically reviewed and quantitatively synthesized the scientific evidence pertaining to microRNA-20a (miR-20a) as a CRC biomarker. A keyword and reference search in PubMed yielded 32 studies, in which miR-20a was measured in feces, serum, or tumor tissue. Data were extracted from a total of 5014 cancer cases and 2863 controls. <i>Results</i>: Twenty out of 21 relevant studies found that miR-20a was upregulated in CRC patients compared to controls. Meta-analysis revealed a pooled miR-20a fold change of 2.45 (95% CI: 2.24&#8722;2.66) in CRC patients versus controls. To estimate sensitivity and specificity of miR-20a as a diagnostic biomarker of CRC, a pooled area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated (0.70, 95% CI: 0.63&#8722;0.78). The prognostic capacity of miR-20a was assessed using hazard ratios (HRs) for the overall survival (OS). The meta-analysis estimated the pooled HR for OS to be 2.02 (95% CI: 0.90&#8722;3.14) in CRC patients with high miR-20a expression. <i>Conclusions</i>: miR-20a may be a valid biomarker for CRC detection but may not be a strong predictor of poor prognosis in CRC.