Emerging Roles of MicroRNAs in EGFR-Targeted Therapies for Lung Cancer

Abstract

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Several molecular pathways underlying mechanisms of this disease have been partly elucidated, among which the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway is one of the well-known signaling cascades that plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. Dysregulation of the EGFR signaling is frequently found in lung cancer. The strategies to effectively inhibit EGFR signaling pathway have been mounted for developing anticancer therapeutic agents. However, most anti-EGFR-targeted agents fail to repress cancer progression because of developing drug-resistance. Therefore, studies of the mechanisms underpinning the resistance toward anti-EGFR agents may provide important findings for lung cancer treatment using anti-EGFR therapies. Recently, increasing numbers of miRNAs are correlated with the drug resistance of lung cancer cells to anti-EGFR agents, indicating that miRNAs may serve as novel targets and/or promising predictive biomarkers for anti-EGFR therapy. In this paper, we summarize the emerging role of miRNAs as regulators to modulate the EGFR signaling and the resistance of lung cancer cells to anti-EGFR therapy. We also highlight the evidence supporting the use of miRNAs as biomarkers for response to anti-EGFR agents and as novel therapeutic targets to circumvent the resistance of lung cancer cells to EGFR inhibitors.