The role of microRNAs in the occurrence and development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is a malignancy with high metastatic potential. Although the treatment has improved over the past few decades, the survival rate is still low, and there is a pressing need for targeted therapies. A variety of microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles and candidate genes have been studied in EC, which obviously supports the key role of miRNA in the pathogenesis of EC. In order to better understand the importance of miRNA in the development of EC, this article reviews the current information about many important miRNAs as they relate to the progression of EC.