MicroRNAs and Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease, comprising multiple entities associated with distinctive histological and biological features, clinical presentations and behaviours and responses to therapy. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Despite improvement in treatment over the past few decades, there is an urgent need for development of targeted therapies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate diverse cellular processes and play an integral role in cancer pathogenesis. Emerging evidences suggest the involvement of altered regulation of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. MiRNAs are therefore thought to be functional as tumor suppressors or oncogenes, and as a consequence not only potential effective biomarkers, but also novel class of therapeutic targets.