Faculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Phenikaa University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam.
Laboratory Center, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam.
Int J Oncol. 2021 Mar;58(3):344-358. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2021.5175. Epub 2021 Jan 22.
Radiotherapy (RT) followed by radical surgery is an effective standard treatment strategy for various types of cancer, including rectal cancer. The response to RT varies among patients, and the radiosensitivity of cancer cells determines the clinical outcome of patients. However, the application of RT to patients with radioresistant tumors may result in radiation‑induced toxicity without clinical benefits. Currently, there are no effective methods to predict the response to RT. The limitations of the methods currently used to evaluate tumor radiosensitivity, which are mainly based on clinical and radiological features, are low sensitivity and specificity. Non‑coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as a class of biomarkers for predicting radiosensitivity. In particular, the expression pattern of ncRNAs can predict the response to RT in patients with rectal cancer. Thus, ncRNAs may be used as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets to improve the diagnosis and treatment outcome of patients with rectal cancer. In the present review, the current knowledge on the limitations of RT for rectal cancer and the association between ncRNA expression and sensitivity of rectal cancer to RT are presented. Additionally, the potential of ncRNAs as predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets to mitigate resistance of rectal cancer to RT is discussed.
放射治疗（RT）后行根治性手术是多种癌症（包括直肠癌）的有效标准治疗策略。患者对 RT 的反应存在差异，癌细胞的放射敏感性决定了患者的临床结局。然而，将 RT 应用于放射抵抗性肿瘤患者可能会导致放射诱导的毒性而无临床获益。目前，尚无有效的方法来预测 RT 的反应。目前用于评估肿瘤放射敏感性的方法主要基于临床和影像学特征，其局限性在于敏感性和特异性低。非编码 RNA（ncRNA）已成为预测放射敏感性的一类生物标志物。特别是，ncRNA 的表达模式可预测直肠癌患者对 RT 的反应。因此，ncRNA 可作为潜在的生物标志物和治疗靶点，以改善直肠癌患者的诊断和治疗效果。在本综述中，介绍了 RT 治疗直肠癌的局限性以及 ncRNA 表达与直肠癌对 RT 敏感性之间的关联。此外，还讨论了 ncRNA 作为预测生物标志物和治疗靶点以减轻直肠癌对 RT 抵抗性的潜力。
