Plasma micrornas for the detection of early colorectal cancer

A method for diagnosing or detecting colorectal neoplasia in a human subject suspected of suffering from colorectal neoplasia or for identifying a subject at an increased risk of developing colorectal neoplasia, the method comprising the steps of:

• obtaining one or more biological samples from the subject suspected of suffering from or being at an increased risk of developing colorectal neoplasia;
• measuring an overall expression level of at least the following microRNAs selected from the group consisting of miR19a and miR19b or miR19a, miR19b and miR15b in the one or more biological samples obtained from the subject;
• comparing the overall expression level of the microRNAs in the biological sample obtained from the subject suspected of suffering from or being at an increased risk of developing colorectal neoplasia with the overall expression level of the microRNAs from a biological sample obtained from a normal subject, wherein the normal subject is a healthy subject not suffering from or being at an increased risk of developing colorectal neoplasia;
• and
• determining that the subject has colorectal neoplasia or is at an increased risk of developing colorectal neoplasia if overexpression of a combination of miR19a and miR19b, or miR19a and miR19b and miR15b is found;
• or
• determining that the subject does not have colorectal neoplasia or is not at an increased risk of developing colorectal neoplasia if no overexpression of a combination of miR19a and miR19b, or miR19a and miR19b and miR15b is found;
• wherein the biological sample is selected from the group consisting of a plasma sample, a serum sample and a blood sample.