Background: HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) and H19 are two long noncoding RNAs that play vital functions in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Subjects and Methods: The expression level of HOTAIR and H19 in the sera samples of Egyptian CRC patients along with normal controls was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR. The possible correlations with the biochemical and clinicopathological characteristics were determined. Results: The expression of HOTAIR and H19 showed 7.55- and 11.38-fold increased levels, respectively, in CRC patients compared to the controls (p < 0.001). Furthermore, HOTAIR expression in CRC patients with regional lymph node metastasis was significantly higher when compared with CRC patients without regional lymph node metastasis (p = 0.034). HOTAIR and H19 expression showed no significant correlation with tumor site or carcinoembryonic antigen concentration. The sensitivity and specificity of HOTAIR and H19 in the detection of CRC cases were calculated as 92.9% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: HOTAIR and H19 expression levels are upregulated in Egyptian CRC patients, and therefore can be considered noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity.
Keywords: H19; HOTAIR; colorectal cancer; long noncoding RNA; qRT-PCR; serum.