| abstract |
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling in plasma of colorectal cancer. In particular, the invention relates to a diagnostic kit of molecular markers in blood for diagnosing colorectal cancer, monitoring the cancer therapy and/or treating colorectal cancer, the kit comprising a plurality of nucleic acid molecules, each nucleic acid molecule encoding a microRNA sequence, wherein one or more of the plurality of nucleic acid molecules are differentially expressed in plasma of colorectal cancer and healthy control plasma, and wherein the one or more differentially expressed nucleic acid molecules together represent a nucleic acid expression signature that is indicative for the presence of colorectal cancer. The invention further relates to corresponding methods using such nucleic acid expression signatures for identifying colorectal cancer as well as for preventing or treating such a condition. Finally, the invention is directed to a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention and/or treatment of colorectal cancer. |