Evaluating Serum Talin-1 and Cripto-1 as Diagnostic Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health concern, ranking as the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. CRC is a malignancy predominantly affecting older adults, posing significant threats to their health and creating formidable challenges for healthcare systems.

Compared to younger patients, elderly CRC often presents with atypical symptoms. In some cases, the initial manifestations are not hematochezia or abdominal pain but anaemia and weight loss, leading to frequent late-stage (Stage IV) diagnoses, which complicates treatment.

Talin-1 serves as a crucial element within the multiprotein adhesion complexes that facilitate processes such as cell migration, adhesion, and integrin signalling. It has been demonstrated that the level of Talin-1 in the serum of colon cancer patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls. Talin-1 may be a valuable biomarker for colon cancer, which may be essential for the early detection, especially in combination with other markers in population screenings that are currently used to detect the colon cancer.

Human Cripto-1 (CR-1) is an embryonic gene, belonging to the EGF-CFC gene family, which is necessary for promoting early stages of embryonic development. CR-1 is a good example of a multifaceted embryonic protein that is re-expressed in most human tumors, particularly colorectal tumor, but not detected in normal adult human tissues. García-Sanmartín et al. showed that Cripto-1 expression was significantly correlated with worse prognosis in CRC, and was an independent prognostic factor.