Canadian Journal of Medicine

Abstract

Genomic and proteomic approaches have improved the understanding of the mechanisms
involved in cancer. Genomic mutations in cancer indicate that many mutations or altered copy
numbers in cancer often occur in non-coding regions of the DNA including microRNAs
(miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and antisense
RNAs (Li et al, 2017; Yoon & Rossi, 2018; Yu, Jian, Allan, & Tu, 2019).
Noncoding RNAs, including lncRNAs and miRNAs, are potential therapeutic targets because they
have the potential to be applied in the diagnosis and prognosis of a number of cancers. Furthermore,
their regulations are implicated in development and progression of many kinds of malignancies e.g.,
proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis and drug resistance, thus suggesting its potential in
targeted therapy (Smolle, Calin, Pichler, & Calin, 2017; Vo et al., 2019; Zhang & Xin, 2018).
Therefore, RNA profiling using bioinformatics tools and the development of databases can be helpful
in development of targeted research in this regard, where in-depth understanding of their multiple
mechanisms will be helpful in clarifying their substantial role in regulation of many genes involved
in cancer. For instance, anti-miRNA oligonucleotides (AMO) are considered to be capable of
suppressing the function of oncomirs, leading to inhibition of tumor growth. Clinical trials and
increased success rates in noncoding RNAs therapy are considered to be an opportunity for cancer
treatment