Locked Nucleic Acid In Situ Hybridization Analysis of MicroRNA-21 Predicts Clinical Outcome in Patients After Resection for Pancreatic Cancer Treated with Adjuvant Gemcitabine Monotherapy.

Background: The overexpression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in pancreatic cancer has been implicated in drug resistance to gemcitabine. Thus far, miR-21 has gained wide attention as a potential biomarker to predict the clinical response in patients with pancreatic cancer receiving gemcitabine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of miR-21 expression, determined by locked nucleic acid in situ hybridization (LNA-ISH), in patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent adjuvant gemcitabine after curative surgery.

Materials And Methods: Tumor miR-21 expression was analyzed via LNA-ISH and correlated with the clinical outcomes of the patients treated with adjuvant gemcitabine.

Results: The overexpression of miR-21 in pancreatic cancer, determined by LNA-ISH, was significantly and independently associated with a shorter disease-free survival in patients who received adjuvant gemcitabine after curative resection.

Conclusion: The LNA-ISH analysis of miR-21 may serve as a significant predictor for gemcitabine resistance in patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing adjuvant gemcitabine after curative resection.