Role of microRNAs in chemoresistance

Drug resistance is a major problem in the treatment of cancer patients. Resistance can develop after prolonged cycles of chemotherapy or can be present intrinsically in the patient. There is an emerging role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in resistance to cancer treatments. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that are evolutionarily conserved and also involved as regulators of gene expression through the silencing of mRNA targets. They are involved in many different cancer types and a plethora of mechanisms have been postulated for the roles that miRNAs play in the development of drug resistance. Hence, miRNA-based gene therapy may provide a novel approach for the future of cancer therapy. This review focuses on an overview of recent findings on the role of miRNAs in the resistance to chemotherapy in different tumours.