Oncology and Metabolism Department (OMD), Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Infection Immunity and Cardiovascular Department (IICD), Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2021 Jun;19(3):256-263. doi: 10.1007/s11914-021-00677-9. Epub 2021 Apr 8.
Bone metastasis occurs in advanced stages of breast cancer, worsening the quality of life and increasing the mortality of patients. Current treatments for bone metastasis are only palliative, and efficient therapeutic targets need to be still identified. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a large class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression within cells. Interestingly, the expression of certain miRNAs has been associated with several stages of bone metastasis progression, highlighting the importance of these small RNAs during the course of the metastatic disease. In this review, we aim to summarise the most recent findings on miRNAs and their mRNA targets in driving breast cancer bone metastasis. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility to use miRNAs as direct therapeutic targets or as advanced therapies for breast cancer bone metastasis, as well as their potential as predictive biomarkers of bone metastasis for an early diagnosis and a better tailoring of therapies for cancer patients.
骨转移发生在乳腺癌的晚期，降低了患者的生活质量并增加了其死亡率。目前针对骨转移的治疗方法仅为姑息性的，因此仍需要确定有效的治疗靶点。微小 RNA（miRNA）是一大类细胞内调节基因表达的小非编码 RNA。有趣的是，某些 miRNA 的表达与骨转移进展的几个阶段相关，这突显了这些小 RNA 在转移疾病过程中的重要性。在这篇综述中，我们旨在总结最近关于 miRNA 及其在驱动乳腺癌骨转移中的 mRNA 靶标的发现。此外，我们还讨论了将 miRNA 用作直接治疗靶点或用于乳腺癌骨转移的先进治疗方法的可能性，以及它们作为骨转移预测生物标志物用于早期诊断和更好地为癌症患者定制治疗方案的潜力。
