The role of miRNAs in the pheochromocytomas

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is a catecholamine-producing and neuroendocrine tumor, which originates from chromaffin cells in adrenal medulla or at extra-adrenal sites. The clinical symptoms of PCC patients were including paroxysmal hypertension and cardiovascular crises. Despite the identification of many molecular-level basics involved in these pathogenesis processes, the 5-year survival of advanced stage PCC is <40 %. The 5-year survival of advanced stage PCC is <40 %. microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of single-strand, highly conserved, small, non-coding RNAs which inhibit gene expression by binding to the target messenger RNA (mRNA) 3'UTR to induce translational repression or their degradation. Increasing data have shown that the deregulated expression of miRNAs has been implicated in the diagnosis and treatment of tumors including PCC. In this review, we summarized the expressions and roles of miRNAs in PCC and comment on the potential role of miRNAs in improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of PCC.