Small Non-Coding RNA in Breast Cancer Therapy: Yin-Yang

Breast cancer continues to be a significant worldwide issue. Systemic chemotherapy remains the mainstay of breast cancer therapy despite advancements in technology. However, their side effects and the decreased patient quality of life hinder long-term therapeutic success. Personalized treatment is more crucial for breast cancer due to issues such as metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance. In recent years, advances in understanding small non-coding RNAs have created new opportunities for their application in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Small non-coding RNAs are endogenous (19-24 bp) and substantially regulate post-transcriptional mRNA expression, serving a crucial role in cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, and cell death. Over the last two decades, numerous studies have been conducted on the relationship between miRNAs and cancer. It has been shown that miRNAs can be markers for cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, the potential use of small noncoding RNAs such as Patisiran and Miravirsen in cancer treatment has been promising. However, our understanding of miRNA and siRNA is limited, and their therapeutic uses are currently restricted by challenges related to delivery, stability, and offtarget activity. Ongoing research aimed at overcoming these limitations may enable RNA-based therapeutics to become effective tools for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.