miRNA dysregulation in breast cancer

miRNAs have emerged, in the last decade, as key players in the carcinogenic process, with many candidates identified as playing important roles in many aspects of tumor development, growth, metastasis, and drug resistance. More recently, polymorphisms in miRNAs themselves or in their binding sites in target genes have been identified to incur increased risk of breast cancer in certain populations. In addition, epigenetic regulation and differential expression of processing enzymes has been shown to contribute to the aberrant expression of miRNAs in breast cancer. This review focuses on the area of miRNA dysregulation in breast cancer through both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, and the impact of this dysregulation on breast cancer risk and resistance to therapies.