The role of miRNAs in colorectal cancer progression and chemoradiotherapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is known as the third most common cancer as well as the fourth most deadly cancer worldwide. CRC accounts for approximately 10 % of all new cancer cases globally, remaining the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that can affect a variety of cellular and molecular targets. Depending on the cell environment in which the information is expressed, miRNAs can serve as a CRC suppressor or promoter and play essential roles in several biological processes. In this review, we summarized the relationship between miRNAs and proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, autophagy, apoptosis, and the chemoradiotherapy of CRC, revealing that relevant miRNAs could serve as potential targets for CRC therapy.