Mir-671-5p Blocks the Progression of Human Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Suppressing FGFR2

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common malignant tumor worldwide, of which esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the dominant histological subtype. A drug shortage for ESCC therapy triggered us to explore the roles of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) and its upstream regulator miR-671-5p in ESCC progression. We compared the levels of FGFR2 and miR-671-5p between human ESCC tissues and their matched normal esophageal tissues and found an association between higher levels of FGFR2 and lower levels of miR-671-5p in ESCC tissues. High levels of FGFR2 resulted in the activation of the ERK and AKT pathways and a promotion of ESCC progression. High levels of miR-671-5p specifically reduced the expression of FGFR2 and suppressed ESCC progression in both in vitro and in vivo models. Therefore, suppressing FGFR2 and enhancing miR-671-5p expression may be the right approaches for ESCC therapy.