The Role of MicroRNA in Malignant Mesothelioma
Page Medically Reviewed and Edited by Anne Courtney, AOCNP, DNP This page has been fact-checked by a Doctor of nursing practice specializing in Oncology and has experience working with mesothelioma patients.
Sources of information are listed at the bottom of the article. We make every attempt to keep our information accurate and up-to-date.
Free Mesothelioma Packet
- New treatment options
- Learn from survivors
- Veterans benefits & claims
- File for your share of $30 billion in trust funds
Please Contact Us with any questions or comments.
The role of microRNA in malignant mesothelioma is under study. These small biomolecules may play a role in the development of the disease and present an opportunity for developing new treatments.
What is MicroRNA?
MicroRNAs are very short strands of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that aid in many processes in all living things at the molecular level. They are incredibly prolific, with many of them present in each and every human cell. These microRNAs generally serve an inhibitory or silencing effect on gene coding, and thus serve a variety of purposes in the realms of tissue differentiation and cellular regulation. Some microRNA strands appear to have the capacity to have an inhibitory effect on cancer cell proliferation and spread, leading researchers to study them as potential treatment agents for a variety of cancer types.[1][2]
Free Mesothelioma Packet
- New treatment options
- Learn from survivors
- Veterans benefits & claims
- File for your share of $30 billion in trust funds
How Are MicroRNA and Mesothelioma Connected?
Mesothelioma, like many forms of cancer, is considered to be a disease involving faulty DNA repair—that is, the body is unable to repair DNA that has been damaged by cancerous cells at the rate needed to maintain and create healthy tissue, thus leading to growth and spread of cancer. MicroRNA is thought to play a role in DNA repair: expression of certain microRNAs enables DNA repair, whereas expression of other forms of microRNA can inhibit DNA repair. They can contribute to tumor suppressing genes, similar to “putting on the brakes”, and subsequently slowing the formation of cancer cells. This means that some microRNAs may be involved in bringing the spread of mesothelioma to a halt— before it has a chance to grow and spread.
How Can this Knowledge Be Used to Treat Mesothelioma?
Once the microRNAs that aid in DNA repair at the cellular or molecular levels have been identified, they might be used as a means of treating mesothelioma and other cancers. If microRNAs could be used to send a molecular message to initiate DNA repair at an increased rate, cancer cells could potentially give way to healthy cells, leading to tumor shrinkage or even eradication of the cancerous growth.
The expression of some microRNAs in mesothelioma appear to be damaged. Researchers found that the restoration of the function of these particular microRNA strands aid in cancer suppression, which might lead to a possible treatment option for cancers such as mesothelioma.[3]
Are Treatments Using MicroRNA Manipulation Currently Available?
There are no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments using microRNA manipulation for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma at the time of this writing. Researchers remain interested in evaluating the ways in which microRNA can be used to treat various diseases, including malignant mesothelioma. With the current focus on targeted therapy with cancer types, there may be future opportunities for specific drug development based on specific microRNA damage identified in tumor cells. Additional research and clinical trials are needed to determine the role for cancer therapy.
MicroRNA as a Diagnostic Tool
Another way that microRNA might be used in the future, is to aid in risk factor stratification for early screening. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnosis, but if markers in the blood unique to this cancer could be identified diagnoses may be made earlier. Some studies have found specific microRNAs could serve as these markers for mesothelioma.[4]
More on “Molecular Therapies”
Molecular therapies are treatment methods which are aimed at targeting specific molecules that are thought to play a role in cancer cell proliferation and spread. In other words, these molecular therapies are used to slow or even halt the growth of the cancer cells at the most basic level. Some molecular therapies involve the use of small molecules that can penetrate into a cancer cell and interrupt its ability to “thrive and survive,” thus causing the cancer cell to die while others use antibodies to carry cancer-killing agents to the site of the tumor.
Although not all cancers are currently treatable with molecular therapy methods, these methods have been successfully used to treat several forms of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma.
Implications for the Future
Since microRNA manipulation can have an inhibitory effect on cancer growth, it is possible gene manipulation therapy might be an option in the future. Hopefully, those diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma will have the opportunity to participate in clinical trial research which will provide new drug therapy options. It is crucial for patients with mesothelioma to consider participating in clinical trials to further develop available treatment options.
Page Medically Reviewed and Edited by Anne Courtney, AOCNP, DNP
Anne Courtney has a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and is an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner. She has years of oncology experience working with patients with malignant mesothelioma, as well as other types of cancer. Dr. Courtney currently works at University of Texas LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes.