Abstract
Metastasis, the development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from the primary site of a cancer, is associated with almost 90% of all cancer deaths, and half of all cancer patients present with some form of metastasis at the time of diagnosis. Consequently, there is a clear clinical need for a better understanding of metastasis. The role of miRNAs in the metastatic process is beginning to be explored. However, much is still to be understood. In this review, we present the accumulating evidence for the importance of miRNAs in metastasis as key regulators of this hallmark of cancer.
Highlights
Half of all patients with cancer present with some form of metastasis at time of diagnosis [1].with very few exceptions, metastatic disease remains essentially incurable and almost90% of all cancer deaths are associated with metastasis [2,3]
Metastasis, the development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from the primary site of a cancer, is a multiphase process that requires tumor cells to detach from the primary tumor mass, enter and travel through the blood or lymph system, to leave circulation, and to form a new tumor in other organs or tissues of the body
As is clear from the evidence presented above (Table 1), many miRNAs play crucial roles in cancer metastasis and, as a result, the therapeutic targeting of these miRNAs has generated a lot of interest in recent years [129,130,131,132,133,134,135]
Summary
Half of all patients with cancer present with some form of metastasis at time of diagnosis [1]. The first reports associating miRNAs with metastasis came in 2007, with the demonstration that miR-10b was induced by Twist binding and could promote metastasis in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo through targeting of Homeobox D10 (HOXD10) [13]. Breast cancer has remained the main focus of research investigating miRNAs in metastasis, and many studies have shown that miRNAs can act as both promoters or inhibitors of metastasis in cancer and modulate many steps of the metastatic pathway, including migration, invasion, adhesion, the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), niche conditioning and proliferation in secondary site (Table 1) [15,16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
