We found that the expression levels of FOXC1 were significantly down-regulated by exogenous miR-138-5p over-expression both in vitro and in vivo, and that subsequent siRNA-mediated FOXC1 down-regulation yielded a similar effect in reducing pancreatic cancer cell proliferation as did over-expression of miR-138-5p. Here, FOXC1 is linked to familial pancreatic carcinoma.