MicroRNAs in breast cancer therapy

Breast cancer is one of the most common type of cancers as well as a principal cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. Although research has provided a better understanding and diagnosis of breast cancer, studies in breast cancer therapeutics are still far from satisfactory. Recent research on microRNAs (miRNAs) has implicated these tiny regulatory molecules in progression of breast cancer with the possibility of exploiting them as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers. The loss of tumor suppressor miRNAs or overexpression of oncogenic miRNAs can lead to breast cancer tumorigenesis or metastasis. However, the next step - linking miRNAs to cancer therapeutics - is still under progression. The roles of miRNAs exhibit much potential in breast cancer therapy, but currently need to be further studied and evaluated in order to better understand how to apply laboratory results to clinical medicine. Here we provide an update on our current understanding of miRNAs as molecular targets for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of breast cancers.