The UAB researchers analyzed data from 218 patients who underwent surgery and other treatments for colorectal cancer at UAB Hospital between 1982 and 2004. They examined the gene-test results of tumor and benign-tissue samples and discovered the four miRNAs important to assessing patient survival.

For many cancers, including colon cancer, African-Americans have lower survival rates than whites. Possible reasons behind this disparity ” including genetic variation, tumor characteristics, access to health care and other factors ” are being examined extensively.

"Our findings underscore the potential clinical usefulness of miRNAs in studying cancer risk and cancer progression, and we've shown that race and ethnicity should be considered in the evaluation," Manne said.

The research is a partnership between UAB and the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Funding for the work comes from the National Cancer Institute.

SOURCE UAB Department of Pathology