Roles of miRNAs in Colorectal Cancer: Therapeutic Implications and Clinical Opportunities

Colorectal cancer is one of the most disseminated diseases across the globe engaging the digestive system. Various therapeutic methods from traditional to state-of-the-art ones are applied in CRC patients, however, the attempts were unfortunate to lead to a definite cure. MiRNAs are a smart group of non-coding RNAs having the capability of regulating and controlling coding genes. By utilizing this stock-in-trade biomolecules, not only disease’s symptoms can be eliminated, there may be a good chance for the complete cure of the disease in the near future. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review delineating the therapeutic relationship between miRNAs and colorectal cancer. To that, various clinical aspects of miRNAs acting as a tumor suppressor and/or an oncogene, underlying cellular processes and their clinical outcomes, in particular, their effects and expression level changes in patients treated with chemo- and radiotherapy is discussed. Finally, based on the results deducted from scientific research studies, therapeutic opportunities based on targeting/utilizing miRNAs in the preclinical as well as clinical settings are highlighted.