title: miRNAs in breast cancer: ready for real time?
abstract: Over the past decade, major advances in our comprehension of breast cancer biology have led to improved diagnostic and prognostic techniques and the development of novel targeted therapies. However, the efficacy of new treatments remains limited by a combination of drug toxicity, resistance and persisting insufficiencies in our understanding of tumor-signaling pathways; furthermore, the reliability of identified biomarkers is contentious. Following their recent discovery, miRNAs have been established as critical regulators of gene expression, and their putative roles as oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes has provided a potential new dimension to our clinical approach to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Their role as biomarkers and therapeutic targets is appealing; however, several barriers have limited our ability to translate this potential into a clinical reality. This review focuses on the currently accepted roles of miRNAs in breast cancer pathogenesis, and highlights the clinical challenges and breakthroughs in this field to date.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 ONN, UK. j.krell@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krell
authors.forename: Adam E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Frampton
authors.forename: Jimmy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Leandro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Castellano
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stebbing
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs