Low level of exosomal long non-coding RNA <i>HOTTIP</i> is a prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer

Molecular risk stratification of colorectal cancer can improve patient outcome. A panel of lncRNAs (<i>H19, HOTTIP, HULC</i> and <i>MALAT1</i>) derived from serum exosomes of patients with non-metastatic CRC and healthy donors was analyzed. Exosomes from healthy donors carried significantly more <i>H19, HULC</i> and <i>HOTTIP</i> transcripts in comparison to CRC patients. Correlation analysis between lncRNAs and clinical data revealed a statistical significance between low levels of exosomal <i>HOTTIP</i> and poor overall survival. This was confirmed by multivariate analysis that <i>HOTTIP</i> is an independent prognostic marker for overall survival (HR: 4.5, CI: 1.69–11.98, p = 0.0027). Here, <i>HOTTIP</i> poses to be a valid biomarker for patients with a CRC to predict post-surgical survival time.