Can miRNA biomarkers be utilized to improve the evaluation and management of pancreatic cystic lesions?

This article reviews the current strategies and challenges of diagnosing pancreatic cystic lesions, and presents an overview of molecular tools that are available to enhance diagnostic accuracy. Specifically, we highlight the emergence of microRNAs (miRNAs) as diagnostic markers. miRNA signatures have been reported for both solid tissue and biofluid specimens, including cyst fluid, collected from patients with solid and cystic pancreatic lesions. These miRNA signatures offer the opportunity to improve molecular characterization of pancreatic lesions, to help guide clinical management through early diagnosis and informed prognosis, and to provide novel therapeutic targets for pancreatic cancer.