Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer that affects females globally. Radiotherapy is a standard treatment option for breast cancer, where one of its most significant limitations is radioresistance development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-protein-coding RNAs that have been widely studied for their roles as disease biomarkers. To date, several in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies have reported the roles of miRNAs in regulating radiosensitivity and radioresistance in breast cancer cells. This article reviews the roles of miRNAs in regulating treatment response toward radiotherapy and the associating cellular pathways. We identified 36 miRNAs that play a role in mediating radio-responses; 22 were radiosensitizing, 12 were radioresistance-promoting, and two miRNAs were reported to promote both effects. A brief overview of breast cancer therapy options, mechanism of action of radiation, and molecular mechanism of radioresistance was provided in this article. A summary of the latest clinical researches involving miRNAs in breast cancer radiotherapy was also included.

摘要

乳腺癌是影响全球女性的最常见的癌症类型。放射治疗是乳腺癌的标准治疗选择，其最重要的限制之一是放射抗性的发展。MicroRNA (miRNA) 是小的非蛋白质编码 RNA，因其作为疾病生物标志物的作用而被广泛研究。迄今为止，多项体外、体内和临床研究报告了 miRNA 在调节乳腺癌细胞放射敏感性和放射抗性中的作用。本文综述了 miRNA 在调节放疗反应和相关细胞通路中的作用。我们确定了 36 种在介导放射反应中起作用的 miRNA；22 种是放射致敏的，12 种是促进放射抗性的，据报道有两种 miRNA 可以促进这两种作用。本文简要概述了乳腺癌治疗方案、辐射作用机制和抗辐射分子机制。还包括对乳腺癌放射治疗中涉及 miRNA 的最新临床研究的总结。