Increased levels of circulating circular RNA (hsa_circ_0013587) may serve as a novel biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

Circular RNA can serve as a biomarker for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Analyzed the expression of various differentially expressed circular RNAs in the pancreatic cancer tissues by gene chip and identified the expression of hsa_circ_0013587 in pancreatic cancer cells, tissues and plasma by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Hsa_circ_0013587 was highly expressed in the pancreatic cancer tissues, cell lines and plasma samples from patients with pancreatic cancer. Notably, hsa_circ_0013587 was upregulated in pancreatic cancer patients with later clinical stages III-IV as compared with those detected in early clinical stages I-II. A high expression of hsa_circ_0013587 may serve as a novel diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker for pancreatic cancer.