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‹ Fri · 26 Jun 2026
Early cancer detection or prevention

CEMIP1 and TACSTD2 as circulating mRNA biomarkers for early detection and tumor burden assessment in colorectal neoplasia.

Two blood-based markers detect colorectal cancer across its full spectrum from precancerous polyps to advanced disease, supporting development of simpler screening tests.

Integrating whole-transcriptome RNA-seq discovery with two-phase RT-qPCR validation across tissue and plasma, this study identifies CEMIP1 and TACSTD2 as the most robust circulating mRNA biomarkers for CRC. TACSTD2 elevates in premalignant colorectal adenomas while CEMIP1 mirrors tumor burden and declines post-resection, supporting a two-marker multiplex plasma test spanning the full adenoma-to-carcinoma continuum.

What the study was

Study design
Multi-phase discovery + validation liquid biopsy study
Population
Colorectal adenoma and CRC patients vs healthy controls (Czech multi-center, CRA n=48, CRC n=48 per stage I-III, CRC n=42 stage IV, controls n=51)
Sample size
245
Category
Early Detection
Maturity
Validated
Journal
Molecular Medicine

Why it surfaced

Novel circulating mRNA biomarkers validated across multiple CRC stages including premalignant adenomas; complementary biomarker pair for early detection and post-surgical monitoring; meaningful cohort sizes with 3-phase study design.

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