Lung cancer is the cardinal cause of cancer-related deaths with restricted recourse of therapy throughout the world. Clinical success of therapies is not very promising due to - late diagnosis, limited therapeutic tools, relapse and the development of drug resistance. Recently, small ∼20–24 nucleotides molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) have come into the limelight as they play outstanding role in the process of tumorigenesis by regulating cell cycle, metastasis, angiogenesis, metabolism and apoptosis. miRNAs essentially regulate gene expression via post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA. Nevertheless, few studies have conceded the role of miRNAs in activation of gene expression. A large body of data generated by numerous studies is suggestive of their tumor-suppressing, oncogenic, diagnostic and prognostic biomarker roles in lung cancer. They have also been implicated in regulating cancer cell metabolism and resistance or sensitivity towards chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Further, miRNAs have also been convoluted in regulation of immune checkpoints – Programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1). These molecules play a significant role in tumor immune escape leading to the generation of a microenvironment favouring tumor growth and progression. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the expression of miRNA and understand its relevance in lung cancer and development of anti-cancer strategies (anti – miRs, miR mimics and micro RNA sponges). In view of the above, the role of miRNA in lung cancer has been dissected and the associated mechanisms and pathways are discussed in this review.

肺癌是与癌症有关的死亡的主要病因，在世界范围内治疗方法受到限制。由于-晚期诊断，有限的治疗工具，复发和耐药性的发展，治疗的临床成功前景不是很乐观。最近，被称为microRNA（miRNA）的约20至24个核苷酸的小分子成为备受关注的分子，因为它们通过调节细胞周期，转移，血管生成，代谢和细胞凋亡在肿瘤发生过程中发挥了重要作用。miRNA本质上是通过转录后调控mRNA来调控基因表达的。然而，很少有研究承认miRNA在激活基因表达中的作用。许多研究产生的大量数据表明它们在肺癌中具有抑制肿瘤，致癌，诊断和预后的生物标志物的作用。它们还涉及调节癌细胞的代谢以及对化学疗法和放射疗法的抗性或敏感性。此外，miRNA也已经在调节免疫检查点–程序性死亡1（PD-1）及其配体（PD-L1）方面令人费解。这些分子在肿瘤免疫逃逸中起重要作用，导致形成有利于肿瘤生长和进展的微环境。因此，必须探索miRNA的表达并了解其在肺癌中的相关性以及开发抗癌策略（抗miR，miR模拟物和micro RNA海绵）的必要性。有鉴于此，本篇综述了miRNA在肺癌中的作用，并讨论了相关的机制和途径。