High expression of microRNA-31 and its host gene LOC554202 predict favorable outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer treated with oxaliplatin

Abstract

The expression levels of microRNA-31 (miR-31) and LOC554202 have been previously investigated in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their oncogenic and/or tumor suppressive roles have been described. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of miR-31 and its host gene LOC554202 in the prognosis of patients with CRC. Patients with CRC treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy between June 2005 and March 2010 were recruited to the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University. Tumor and adjacent mucosal tissues were collected. The detection of miR-31 and/or LOC554202 was performed with probe hybridization targeting. Correlation analysis was performed among the expression levels of miR-31, LOC554202, and their association with clinicopathological parameters and/or survival rates. miR-31 and LOC554202 were expressed at high levels in CRC (P<0.01) compared with adjacent intestinal mucosa. A linear correlation was noted for the two markers in CRC tissues (P<0.01). The expression of miR-31 was significantly higher in adenocarcinoma than in the adjacent intestinal mucosa (P<0.01), whereas the expression of LOC554202 was significantly higher in the adenocarcinoma and the rectal cancer tissue regions (P<0.01). The high expression levels of miR-31 and LOC554202 were associated with high disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates (P<0.05). Associations between the increase in DFS and OS and the elevated expression levels of miR-31 and LOC554202 were present in patients with colon cancer but not in patients with rectal cancer (P<0.05). These data indicated that miR-31 and LOC554202 may be potential markers for evaluation of the prognosis of patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.