Methods and compositions involving miR-135b for distinguishing pancreatic cancer from benign pancreatic disease

A method of producing amplified, labeled miRNA molecules from a pancreatic sample from a subject, the method comprising:

• contacting the pancreatic sample from the subject with primers specific for a group of microRNAs consisting of up to 11 different labeled miRNAs that include at least miR-135b and at least 4 of the following miRNAs:
• miR148a, miR-130b, miR-196a, miR-24, miR-375, and miR-96,
• wherein miR-217 is not one of the up to 11 different miRNAs;
• and
• reacting the sample with the primers under conditions to amplify the labeled microRNA molecules using polymerase chain reaction to produce the amplified, labeled miRNA molecules.