MicroRNAs as new biomarkers in breast cancer

Tumor markers are substances that are produced by tumor cells. They can be found in the body fluids (e.g. blood) or in the tumor tissues. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA, which act as important regulators of gene expression.More recently, it has been demonstrated that specific miRNAs changed in the body fluids and or tumor tissue of patients, similarly, breast cancer patients. Each tumor has a unique miRNA profile, which could be utilized to differentiatevarious types of cancer and alsohealthy cases. Therefore, these microRNAs can be considered as biomarkers for different types of cancer.There are several methods to measure the level of miRNAs expression, including, miRNA profiling using quantitative RealTime-PCR, and miRNA-array. Detection of breast cancer at early stages is important because it could affect the efficiency of treatment. Mammography is the gold standard method for breast cancer screening. However, it has some limitations.Thus, it is crucial to identify newbiomarkers with enhanced potential for early screening of breast cancer. MicroRNAs are important biomarker. They are more sensitive and in some cases more specific than many other usual tumor markers. Most of the miRNAs are secreted in to the body fluids. Thus, they can be measured by noninvasive approaches. Some miRNAs are able to induce resistance to cancer therapeutic approaches, and some of them are able to use in cancer targeting therapy.Therefore, microRNAs can be exploited as important biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, prediction of drug responses, and treatment choices.

کلیدواژه ها:

biomarker ، breast cancer ، miRNA