| Esophageal cancer (EC) is the most invasive disease associated with inclusive poor prognosis. EC usually
is found as either adenocarcinoma (EAC) or squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC). ESCC forms in squamous
cells and highly occurs in the upper third of the esophagus. EAC appears in glandular cells and ordinarily
develops in the lower one third of the esophagus near the stomach. Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is a
metaplastic precursor of EAC. There is a persistent need for improving our understanding of the
molecular basis of this disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) demonstrate an uncovered class of small, noncoding
RNAs that can negatively regulate the protein coding gene, and are associated with approximately
all known physiological and pathological processes, especially cancer. MiRNAs can affect cancer
pathogenesis, playing a crucial role as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors. The recent emergence of
observations on the role of miRNAs in cancer and their functions has induced many investigations to
examine their relevance to esophageal cancer. In esophageal cancer, miRNA dysregulation plays a crucial
role in cancer prognosis and in patients’ responsiveness to neo-adjuvant and adjuvant therapies. In this
review, the oncogenic, tumor suppressive, and drug resistance related roles of miRNAs, and their
involvement in the pathogenesis and treatment of esophageal cancer were summarized. |