MicroRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in gastric cancer

Considering the high mortality rates and the unfavorable prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) as well as the lack of a clinical predictive marker, which is sufficiently sensitive to GC, it is of great significance to investigate new sensitive and specific markers for GC diagnosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) could be a practical form of potential biomarkers in the diagnosis of human disease, and they are confirmed to be closely associated with GC. In this review, we discuss the recent research results that indicate the feasibility and clinical applications of miRNAs in GC. Although several challenges remain to be addressed, miRNAs have the potential to be applied in the diagnosis of GC.