Functional role of microRNAs in prostate cancer and therapeutic opportunities.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death. The management of prostate cancer patients has become increasingly complex, consequently calling on the need for identifying and validating prognostic and predictive biomarkers. Growing evidence indicates that microRNAs play a crucial role in the pathobiology of neoplastic diseases. The deregulation of the cellular "miRNome" in prostate cancer has been connected with multiple tumor-promoting activities such as aberrant activation of growth signals, anti-apoptotic effects, prometastatic mechanisms, alteration of the androgen receptor pathway, and regulation of the cancer stem cell phenotype. With the elucidation of molecular mechanisms controlled by microRNAs, investigations have been conducted in an attempt to exploit these molecules in the clinical setting. Moreover, the multifaceted biological activity of microRNAs makes them an attractive candidate as anticancer agents. This review summarizes the current knowledge on microRNA deregulation in prostate cancer, and the rationale underlying their exploitation as cancer biomarkers and therapeutics.