Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is increasing in incidence and is still associated with a high rate of mortality. Only a minority of patients are diagnosed in the early stage. Radical surgery is the only potential curative procedure. However, radicality is reached in 20% of patients operated on. Despite the multidisciplinary approach in resectable tumors, early tumor recurrences are common. Options on how to select optimal candidates for resection remain limited. Nevertheless, accumulating evidence shows an important role of circulating non-coding plasma and serum microRNAs (miRNAs), which physiologically regulate the function of a target protein. miRNAs also play a crucial role in carcinogenesis. In PDAC patients, the expression levels of certain miRNAs vary and may modulate the function of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. As they can be detected in a patient's blood, they have the potential to become promising non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Moreover, they may also serve as markers of chemoresistance. Thus, miRNAs could be useful for early and accurate diagnosis, prognostic stratification, and individual treatment planning. In this review, we summarize the latest findings on miRNAs in PDAC patients, focusing on their potential use in the early stage of the disease.

Central European Institute of Technology Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty of Biology National and Kapodistrian University of Athens 15701 Athens Greece

Department of Biology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute Brno 65653 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine University Hospital Brno Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Hematology Oncology and Internal Medicine University Hospital Brno Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Surgery University Hospital Brno Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

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