Aberrant microRNAs expression patterns in pancreatic cancer and their clinical translation.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) has a high rate of mortality and a poorly understood mechanism of progression. MicroRNA (miRNA) molecules have been proved to play an important role in malignant transformation and cancer development. Thousands of miRNAs have been screened in PC and several of them, such as miR-21, 155, and 196a, show up- or down-regulation that is associated with progression of the disease. However, the roles of these molecules in the regulation of tumorigenesis are not clear. Some studies have investigated whether circulating miRNAs could be detected in serum of patients with PC and whether expression levels of specific miRNAs differed between PC patients, pancreatitis patients, and healthy individuals. The current review focuses on this topic along with a possible role for miRNAs in the early diagnosis of PC.