Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a gynecologic disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth and proliferation of abnormal cells in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or peritoneum. Emerging evidence has shown the pivotal role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as miRNAs, in driving the pathogenesis of OC. miRNAs are recognized as small ncRNAs that play critical roles in regulating gene expression in normal development and in disease states, including OC. Among miRNAs, the expression of miR-34a was found to be downregulated in OC. Elevated levels of this miRNA are associated with the induction of apoptosis and the inhibition of OC cell proliferation by targeting various signaling pathways, including NOTCH1, P21/P53, STAT3, and BCL2 in OC. Therefore, miR-34a can be a therapeutic target in the management of OC. In this review, we summarized the functional significance of this miRNA in the treatment of OC.

Keywords: miR-34a, ovarian cancer, tumor suppressor, biomarker, therapeutic potential.