MicroRNAs in glioblastoma multiforme pathogenesis and therapeutics

• Published in: Cancer medicine (Malden, MA) MA), 2016-08, Vol.5 (8), p.1917-1946
• Main Authors: Shea, Amanda, Harish, Varsha, Afzal, Zainab, Chijioke, Juliet, Kedir, Habib, Dusmatova, Shahnoza, Roy, Arpita, Ramalinga, Malathi, Harris, Brent, Blancato, Jan, Verma, Mukesh, Kumar, Deepak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Angiogenesis; Animals; Apoptosis; Biosynthesis; Brain cancer; Brain Neoplasms - genetics; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Brain Neoplasms - therapy; Cancer; cancer therapy; Cell cycle; Cell death; Clinical Cancer Research; Drug resistance; Enzymes; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genetic Therapy - methods; Glioblastoma; Glioblastoma - genetics; Glioblastoma - pathology; Glioblastoma - therapy; Glioblastoma multiforme; Humans; Medical prognosis; Metastases; microRNA; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - genetics; miRNA; Pathogenesis; Phenotyping; Review; RNA Interference; RNA polymerase; Tumors
• ISSN: 2045-7634; 2045-7634
• DOI: 10.1002/cam4.775

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal cancer of the adult brain, remaining incurable with a median survival time of only 15 months. In an effort to identify new targets for GBM diagnostics and therapeutics, recent studies have focused on molecular phenotyping of GBM subtypes. This has resulted in mounting interest in microRNAs (miRNAs) due to their regulatory capacities in both normal development and in pathological conditions such as cancer. miRNAs have a wide range of targets, allowing them to modulate many pathways critical to cancer progression, including proliferation, cell death, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance. This review explores our current understanding of miRNAs that are differentially modulated and pathologically involved in GBM as well as the current state of miRNA‐based therapeutics. As the role of miRNAs in GBM becomes more well understood and novel delivery methods are developed and optimized, miRNA‐based therapies could provide a critical step forward in cancer treatment. This review explores our current understanding of miRNAs that are differentially modulated and pathologically involved in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) as well as the current state of miRNA‐based therapeutics. As the role of miRNAs in GBM becomes more well‐understood and novel delivery methods are developed and optimized, miRNA‐based targeted therapies could represent a critical step forward in cancer treatment.