Non-Coding RNAs: Uncharted Mediators of Thyroid Cancer Pathogenesis

Abstract

Simple Summary

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine system malignancy. The effective diagnosis, precise treatment, and better short and long-term prognosis of thyroid cancer patients have remained challenging. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging molecules with diverse capabilities in initiating and promoting thyroid cancer upon dysregulation. The expression profile of these molecules could be used to detect thyroid cancer, determine the therapeutic approaches, and predict the patients’ survival. Thus, ncRNAs could have clinical significance in precision medicine.

Abstract

Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent malignancy of the endocrine system and the ninth most common cancer globally. Despite the advances in the management of thyroid cancer, there are critical issues with the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer that result in the poor overall survival of undifferentiated and metastatic thyroid cancer patients. Recent studies have revealed the role of different non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) that are dysregulated during thyroid cancer development or the acquisition of resistance to therapeutics, and may play key roles in treatment failure and poor prognosis of the thyroid cancer patients. Here, we systematically review the emerging roles and molecular mechanisms of ncRNAs that regulate thyroid tumorigenesis and drug response. We then propose the potential clinical implications of ncRNAs as novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for thyroid cancer.