Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is key for prevention and the ability to impact long-term survival of CRC patients. However, the compliance rate of recommended colonoscopy for the population aged from 50 to 75 years is only 50-75 % in the US. A highly sensitive and specific non-invasive test is needed to enhance CRC management. As for late-stage patients, a non-invasive prognostic biomarker is also critical for improving patient treatment protocols. The discovery that non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) are stable in body fluids such as plasma, serum and exosomes presents the opportunity to develop novel strategies, taking advantage of circulating miRNAs as early diagnostic biomarkers of CRC. The goal of using circulating miRNA-based prognostic biomarkers for CRC patients has been pursued extensively. In this review, we will try to cover the major recent advancements at the frontier of this research area.