Brain Tumor Center, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Curr Mol Med. 2013 May;13(4):535-42. doi: 10.2174/1566524011313040006.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive form of primary brain tumor, presents a dismal prognosis. Current standard therapies are only able to improve patient survival by a few months. The search for alternative approaches in glioblastoma treatment, together with the recent discovery of a new class of small RNA molecules that are capable of regulating gene expression, prompted a race for a deeper and thorough understanding of how these molecules work. Today, it is known that microRNAs are involved in many cellular processes that are altered in GBM tumors, such as angiogenesis, invasion, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Research in this area is now gathering efforts to translate these findings into clinically relevant therapies that could improve the diagnosis and outcome of GBM patients. In this review, we discuss the use of microRNAs as potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tools against glioblastoma. We will also assess the current challenges and future perspectives of microRNA-based therapies, with a special focus on why this promising therapeutic approach is not yet in the clinic and how to overcome this limitation.
多形性胶质母细胞瘤（GBM）是最常见和侵袭性最强的原发性脑肿瘤，预后极差。目前的标准治疗方法只能使患者的生存时间延长几个月。为了寻找胶质母细胞瘤治疗的替代方法，以及最近发现一类能够调节基因表达的新型小分子 RNA 分子，人们竞相深入了解这些分子的作用机制。如今，人们已经知道 microRNAs 参与了 GBM 肿瘤中许多发生改变的细胞过程，如血管生成、侵袭、细胞增殖和细胞凋亡。该领域的研究目前正在努力将这些发现转化为具有临床意义的治疗方法，以改善 GBM 患者的诊断和预后。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了 microRNAs 作为针对胶质母细胞瘤的潜在诊断、预后和治疗工具的用途。我们还将评估基于 microRNA 的治疗方法的当前挑战和未来前景，特别关注为什么这种有前途的治疗方法尚未在临床上应用，以及如何克服这一限制。
