The Emerging Role of miRNAs and Their Clinical Implication in Biliary Tract Cancer

Abstract

Biliary tract cancers are aggressive malignancies that include gallbladder cancer and tumors of intra- and extrahepatic ducts and have a poor prognosis. Surgical resection remains the main curative therapy. Nevertheless, numerous patients experience recurrence even after radical surgery. This scenario drives the research to identify biliary tract cancer biomarkers despite the limited progress that has been made. Recently, a large number of studies have demonstrated that deregulated expression of microRNAs is closely associated with cancer development and progression. In this review, we highlight the role and importance of microRNAs in biliary tract cancers with an emphasis on utilizing circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers. Additionally, we report several single-nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNA genes that are associated with the susceptibility of biliary tract tumors.

Liquid biopsy provides new insights into gastric cancer

“…A large number of studies have highlighted the potential importance of circulating ncRNAs as diagnostic, prognostic, and/or predictive biomarkers in cancer, mainly microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). These molecules are remarkably stable as they are often incorporated into exosomes and microvesicles, thus providing resistance to RNase activity, extreme pH and multiple freeze-thaw cycles [ 62 – 63 , 65 – 67 ].…”

“…Several studies also described associations between miRNA expression, H. pylori and EBV infection, which are well-known causes of GC [ 61 , 62 ]. For instance, Shiotani et al [ 73 ] observed an association between upregulated circulating miR-21 and miR-106b and H. pylori infection.…”