ArticleBMC cancer2025
Associations of blood RNA biomarkers and circulating tumour cells in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer.
Article in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Phase III, Randomized Clinical Trial to Evaluate FOLFOX + Bevacizumab Versus FOLFOXIRI + Bevacizumab as First Line Treatment of Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Not Previously Treated and With Three or More Circulating Tumoral Cells.
Randomized Phase II Study to Explore the Influence of BRAF and PIK3K Status on the Efficacy of FOLFIRI Plus Bevacizumab or Cetuximab, as First Line Therapy of Patients With RAS Wild-type Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma and < 3 Circulating Tumor Cells
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
18 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, analysis of the number of basal circulating tumour cells (bCTCs) has been shown to be a strong prognostic indicator. In this study, we aim to explore the potential associations between whole blood mRNA and microRNA expression profiles and bCTC counts, tumour mutations and prognosis in untreated metastatic colorectal cancer patients.
methodsA total of 151 patients previously screened for inclusion in two clinical trials (VISNÚ1 and VISNÚ2) were enrolled in this study. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses were performed to determine the whole blood expression of selected RNAs (mRNAs and microRNAs) involved in the metastatic process. The CellSearch system was used to enumerate circulating tumour cells. The primary objective was to correlate RNA expression with the number of bCTCs, while the secondary objectives were to investigate the relationship between the levels of circulating RNA biomarkers in whole blood and the clinical, pathological, and molecular characteristics and prognosis of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
resultsbCTC count was significantly associated with AGR2 mRNA in the entire cohort of 151 patients. AGR2, ADAR1 and LGR5 were associated with the number of bCTC, both in the subgroup with bCTC ≥ 3 and in the subgroup with native RAS/BRAF/PIK3 CA tumours. In patients with RAS/BRAF/PIK3 CA mutations no correlations with bCTC were detected, but an upregulation of miR-224-5p and the stemness marker LGR5 and a downregulation of immune regulatory CD274 were found. Lower levels of miR-106a-5p/miR-26a-5p were associated with shorter overall survival, with independent statistical significance in the multivariate analysis.
conclusionsA correlation was identified between the levels of a subset of whole blood RNAs, including AGR2, ADAR1, and LGR5, and the number of bCTC and RAS/BRAF/PIK3 CA mutational status. Furthermore, another set of whole blood RNAs, specifically miR-106a-5p and miR-26a-5p, was found to be associated with poor prognosis. This may be helpful for risk stratification.
trial registrationClinical Trials Gov. NCT01640405 and NCT01640444. Registered on 13 June 2012. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ .
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