The involvement of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer and their potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are becoming increasingly known. However, the significance of circulating miRNAs in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) has remained to be investigated. The present study performed a genome‑wide serum miRNA analysis using a deep sequencing platform for initial screening. Subsequently, serum samples of 46 UTUC patients and 30 cancer‑free individuals with hematuria were subjected to a quantitative reverse‑transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. The expression of thirteen miRNAs (miR‑664a‑3p, miR‑423‑5p, miR‑431‑5p, miR‑191‑5p, miR‑92a‑3p, miR‑22‑3p, miR‑26a‑5p, miR‑33b‑3p, miR‑16‑5p, let‑7a‑5p, let‑7b‑5p, let‑7f‑5p and let‑7c) was significantly different in serum from UTUC patients compared with that in control samples. Receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that 10 miRNAs (miR‑664a‑3p, miR‑431‑5p, miR‑423‑5p, miR‑191‑5p, miR‑33b‑3p, miR‑26a‑5p, miR‑22‑3p, miR‑16‑5p, let‑7b‑5p and let‑7c) had the potential to distinguish individuals with UTUC from the controls (areas under the curve >0.8). The present study provided the first evidence for the potential use of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for UTUC diagnosis, which remains to be verified by further studies.