The Functions of MicroRNAs and Their Potential Applications in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer is a highly malignant disease with complex pathogenic mechanisms, and has high incidence and mortality rate. At present, the diagnosis of gastric cancer mainly includes gastroscopy, serum analysis and needle biopsy, and the treatment methods include conventional surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Yet, some limitations were involved in these diagnostic and therapeutic methods, so accurate targeted therapy has received considerable attention. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNA that can interact with the 3-terminal non-translational region of the target gene mRNA to reduce the expression of the target gene, participate in the regulation of multiple signaling pathways, and play an important role in life activities of the cell. More and more studies have shown that miRNAs can participate in the formation and development of cancer, and many abnormally expressed miRNAs in gastric cancer cells are considered to be potential targets for clinical diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer. This paper summarizes research progress of miRNAs in gastric cancer, and aims to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.