MicroRNAs and colorectal cancer chemoresistance: New solution for old problem

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies with a significant mortality rate. Despite the great advances in cancer treatment in the last few decades, effective treatment of CRC is still under challenge. One of the main problems associated with CRC treatment is the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs.

Many studies have been carried out to identify CRC chemoresistance mechanisms, and shed light on the role of ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters), enzymes as thymidylate synthase, some signaling pathways, and cancer stem cells (CSC) in chemoresistance and failed CRC chemotherapies. Other studies have also been recently carried out to find solutions to overcome chemoresistance. Some of these studies have identified the role of miRNAs in chemoresistance of the CRC cells and the effective use of these micro-molecules to CRC treatment.

Considering the results of these studies, more focus on miRNAs likely leads to a proper solution to overcome CRC chemoresistance.

The current study has reviewed the related literature while discussing the efficacy of miRNAs as potential clinical tools for overcoming CRC chemoresistance and reviewing the most important chemoresistance mechanisms in CRC cells.