Role of N(6)-methyladenosine in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer (Review)

Pancreatic cancer (PC) ranks as the seventh leading cause of cancer-associated mortality, and is predicted to become the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortality by the year 2025. Although advanced modalities of diagnosis and treatment have been continuously emerging, the mortality rate (466,003) approximated to that of the morbidity rate (495,773) in 2020. N(6)-methyladenosine (m(6)A) has been shown to be methylated on the sixth N atom of adenine in RNA, which occurs co-transcriptionally and serves to regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. The discovery of m(6)A has heralded a new era in the scientific investigation of PC. In the present review article, the classical conception of m(6)A and emerging hypotheses regarding its role are summarized, and the function of m(6)A in carcinogenesis and progression of PC is then discussed, followed by the potential roles of m(6)A in the diagnosis of PC and in therapeutic applications. However, this new era is only at the initial stages, and the extent to which m(6)A influences PC is still poorly understood. In view of this, the present review article also summarizes the developments at the frontier of the interaction between m(6)A and PC, and discusses strategies through which m(6)A may provide a promising avenue for anticancer therapy.