MicroRNAs driving invasion and metastasis in ovarian cancer: Opportunities for translational medicine

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the fifth most frequent cause of cancer death in women. In spite of the advantages in early detection and treatment options, overall survival rates have improved only slightly in the last decades. Therefore, alternative therapeutic approaches need to overcome resistance and improve the patient survival and outcome. MicroRNAs are evolutionary conserved small non-coding RNAs that function as negative regulators of gene expression by inhibiting translation or inducing degradation of messenger RNAs. In cancer, microRNAs are aberrantly expressed thus representing potential prognostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. The knowledge of novel and unexpected functions of microRNAs is rapidly evolving and the advance in the elucidation of potential clinical applications deserves attention. Recently, a specific set of microRNAs dubbed as metastamiRs have been shown to initiate invasion and metastasis in diverse types of cancer. We reviewed the current status of microRNAs in development and progression of ovarian cancer with a special emphasis on tumor cells invasion and metastasis. Also, we show an update of microRNA functions in oncogenic pathways and discuss the current scenario for potential applications in clinical and translational research in ovarian cancer.