microRNA involvement in the onset and progression of Barrett's esophagus: A systematic review

Abstract

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy that develops from Barrett's esophagus (BE), an intestinal metaplasia of the distal esophagus. microRNAs (miRNAs), short non-coding regulatory RNAs, are frequently dysregulated in BE and are thought to play key roles in the onset of BE and its progression to EAC. miRNAs thus have potential diagnostic and prognostic value and are increasingly being used as cancer biomarkers. This review summarizes the current literature related to miRNAs that are dysregulated in BE within the context of Hedgehog, Notch, MAPK, NF kappa-B, Wnt and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling which are thought to drive BE onset and progression. This comprehensive analysis of miRNAs and their associated signaling in the regulation of BE provides an overview of vital discoveries in this field and highlights gaps in our understanding of BE pathophysiology that warrant further investigation.