Current progress of circular RNA and the application in pancreatic cancer

With insidious onset and dismal prognosis, mortality of pancreatic cancer is very high, and incidence in younger patients of China is increasing. Early detection and specific treatment are able to modify the prognosis and prolong the survival of patients. So exploration of new diagnostic method and development of novel therapy target are still the key points in research of pancreatic cancer. As an important part of non-coding RNA, circular RNA (circRNA) has been proven to be involved in the genesis, progress and prognosis. When concerned as diagnostic marker and pharmaceutic target, circRNA has more advantages than others for its stable structure, extensive distribution and specificity of tissue. Because of the connection with exosomes, the researches of exosome make a big effort on translation of circRNA in the clinical management of malignant tumors. This paper will review the latest progress of circRNA and focus on the current research and possible future application of circRNA in pancreatic cancer. Key words: Pancreatic cancer; Circular RNA; Exosome