1. Current understanding of the functional roles of aberrantly expressed microRNAs in esophageal cancer.
- Author
-
Kestens C, Siersema PD, and van Baal JW
- Subjects
- Adenocarcinoma genetics, Adenocarcinoma metabolism, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell genetics, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell metabolism, Esophageal Neoplasms therapy, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Genes, Tumor Suppressor, Humans, Oncogenes, Esophageal Neoplasms genetics, Esophageal Neoplasms metabolism, MicroRNAs genetics, MicroRNAs metabolism, RNA, Neoplasm genetics, RNA, Neoplasm metabolism
- Abstract
The incidence of esophageal cancer is rising, mostly because the increasing incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma in Western countries. Despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment, the overall 5-year survival rates remain low. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate the expression of target genes. Recently, disease specific miRNAs have been identified, which act as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge about the function of aberrantly expressed miRNAs in esophageal cancer. We selected 5 miRNAs (miRNA-21, -143, -145, -196a and let-7) based on the available literature, and described their potential role in regulating pathways that are deregulated in esophageal cancer. Finally we will highlight the current achievements of using and targeting miRNAs. Because these miRNAs likely have important regulatory roles in cancer development, they open a therapeutic window for new treatment modalities.
- Published
- 2016
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