Feasibility of Fecal MicroRNAs as Novel Biomarkers for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PCA) is an aggressive tumor that associates with high mortality rates. Majority of PCA patients are diagnosed usually at late tumor stages when the therapeutic options are limited. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are involved in tumor development and are commonly dysregulated in PCA. As a proof-of-principle study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of fecal miRNAs as biomarkers for pancreatic cancer.Total RNA was extracted from feces using Qiagen's miRNA Mini Kit. For miRNA expression analyses we selected a subset of 7 miRNAs that are frequently dysregulated in PCA (miR-21, -143, -155, -196a, -210, -216a, -375). Subsequently, expression levels of these miRNAs were determined in fecal samples from controls (n = 15), chronic pancreatitis (n = 15) and PCA patients (n = 15) using quantitative TaqMan-PCR assays.All selected miRNAs were detectable in fecal samples with high reproducibility. Four of seven miRNAs (miR-216a, -196a, -143 und -155) were detected at lower concentrations in feces of PCA patients when compared to controls (p