Association of peripheral blood hypoxia-inducible factor-1α with metastasis of colorectal cancer

Objective To explore the relationship between hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) mRNA levels in the peripheral blood and the metastasis of colorectal cancer.Methods HIF-1α mRNA in the peripheral blood was detected by RT-PCR in 40 patients with colorectal cancer and 20 healthy subjects.Results Seventeen patients with colorectal cancer showed positivity for HIF-1α mRNA,showing a significantly higher positivity rate(42.5%) than the healthy subjects(P0.05).The expression of HIF-1α mRNA is closely related to the staging of colorectal cancer(CRC).Conclusion HIF-1α mRNA may serve as a potential marker in the detection of metastasis of colorectal cancer.