Competing endogenous RNAs: role in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies,and the main unsolved obstacles,which we must figure out,are the early detection and diagnosis,and the improvement in treatments.The ceRNA (competing endogenous RNA,ceRNA) hypothesis provides significant clues and a novel direction for understanding the mechanisms of tumor occurrence and progression,microRNAs and lncRNAs (long non coding RNAs,lncRNAs) are important components in ceRNA hypothesis.Researches have discovered that both overexpression and silence of miRNAs and abnormal expression of some lncRNAs are related to the occurrence and progression of pancreatic cancer.This paper reviewed the contents and mechanisms of ceRNA hypothesis,members of ceRNA network as well as the role of ceRNAs in pancreatic neoplasms. Key words: Pancreatic neoplasms;  ceRNA;  MicroRNAs;  lncRNAs;  PTEN