Background: Colorectal cancer, the most common gastrointestinal cancer, is a significant health issue globally. Mucin 16 plays a critical role in cancer signal transduction pathways and is a potential glycoprotein target for cancer therapy. The miRNA-200 family also regulates the expression of numerous genes that play vital roles in cancer cells. This study aimed to investigate the changes in mucin 16 and miRNA-200a in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Subjects and Methods: Fifty-six patients with CRC, including 26 in stage 3 and 30 in stage 4, were included in this study, along with 38 healthy volunteers as a control group. Parameters such as mucin 16, miRNA-200a, total protein, albumin, globulin, and the albumin/globulin ratio were estimated in serum samples from participants. Results: The results indicated that mucin 16 concentration and miRNA-200a levels were significantly elevated (P ≤ 0.05) in the stage 4 group compared to the stage 3 and control groups. A significant increase was also observed in stage 3 compared to the control group for these two parameters. The concentrations of total protein, globulin, albumin, and the albumin/globulin ratio exhibited no significant differences between patients with stage 3 or stage 4 and the control group. The receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that mucin 16 is a good diagnostic marker for CRC in late stages. Conclusions: These results identify mucin 16 as a promising marker for CRC diagnosis.
