MicroRNAs and lung cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that hybridize to mRNAs and induce either translation repression or mRNA cleavage. Patterns of altered miRNA expression in cancer may work as molecular biomarkers for tumor diagnosis, prognosis of disease-specific outcomes, and prediction of therapeutic responses. In addition, miRNAs can serve as specific targets for gene therapies. This review summarizes the current knowledge of miRNAs and their roles in lung cancer.