MicroRNAs as biomarkers and prospective therapeutic targets in colon and pancreatic cancers.

Colon and pancreatic cancers have high mortality rates due to early metastasis prior to the onset of symptoms. Screening tests for colorectal cancer are invasive and expensive. No effective screening is available for pancreatic cancer. Identification of biomarkers for early detection in both of these cancers is being extensively researched. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small non-coding molecule biomarkers that regulate cancers. Measurement of miRNAs in pancreatic fluid or blood could be a preferred non-invasive screening method. The regulation of colon and pancreatic cancers by miRNA is complex. miRNA play a central role in inflammation, invasiveness, and tumor progression in these two cancers, as well as regulation of the NF-κB pathway. miRNA's evolving role in screening is also reviewed.