Role of Treg/Th17 Imbalance, Microbiota and miRNAs in Pancreatic Cancer: Therapeutic Options

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal kinds of cancer; numerous patients die from it every year all over the word. Fewer than 5% of people with pancreatic cancer survive death and recover. Recent evidence suggests that inflammation parameters, such as Th17 cells and Tregs, affect the progression and even the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. In the inflammation process, T lymphocytes play an essential role in inflammation intensity, and related cytokines modulate immune responses in the tumor microenvironment. Their function is to establish a balance between destructive inflammation and defense against tumor cells via immune system, and Treg/Th17 imbalance is a common problem in this cancer. The role of microbiota in the development of some cancers is clear; microbiota may also be involved in the pancreatic cancer development. All risk factors for pancreatic cancer, such as chronic pancreatitis-related to microbiota, influence the acute or chronic immune response. Some evidence has been presented regarding the role of the immune response in carcinogenesis. In addition, miRNAs are very important in suppressing and stimulating the growth of cancer cells, and a variety of them have been identified. Some miRNAs are abnormally expressed in many cancers and have main roles as post-transcriptional regulators. They show oncogenic or tumor-suppressive functions by binding to marked mRNAs. In this review, we highlight recent findings regarding the role of Treg/Th17 imbalance, microbiota functions, and miRNAs performance in pancreatic cancer. We also present the evidence regarding therapeutic options.