Exploring the Potential Role of Circulating microRNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Clinical Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Breast Cancer

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by James

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide, and neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is increasingly used to shrink tumors before surgery. Current methods for evaluating tumor response have important limitations, while drug resistance and variable outcomes create a strong need for predictive biomarkers. Circulating microRNAs are small non-coding regulators with roles in cancer biology, and their expression is altered in patients. This review summarizes evidence supporting circulating microRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers for predicting clinical response to NAT and highlights implications for future biomarker development and clinical translation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and goals

Pathologic complete response (pCR) as a surrogate

Biomarkers and evidence from biomarker studies

Review Exploring the Potential Role of Circulating microRNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Clinical Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Breast Cancer Luis M. Ruiz-Manriquez 1,2,†, Cynthia Villarreal-Garza 3,†, Javier A. Benavides-Aguilar 2, Andrea Torres-Copado 2, Jos² Isidoro-S¡nchez 2, Carolina Estrada-Meza 2, Mar½a Goretti Arvizu-Espinosa 2, Sujay Paul 2, * and Raquel Cuevas-Diaz Duran 1, * Citation: Ruiz-Manriquez, L.M.; Villarreal-Garza, C.; Benavides-Aguilar, J.A.; Torres-Copado, A.; Isidoro-Sánchez, J.; Estrada-Meza, C.; Arvizu-Espinosa, M.G.; Paul, S.; Cuevas-Diaz Duran, R. Exploring the Potential Role of Circulating microRNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Clinical Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Breast Cancer. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 9984 . [https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24129984](https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24129984) Academic Editors: Irina Pronina and Eleonora A. Braga Received: 12 May 2023 Revised: 8 June 2023 Accepted: 8 June 2023 Published: 10 June 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64700, Mexico; [a01701195@tec.mx](a01701195@tec.mx) 2 School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Queretaro 76130, Mexico 3 Breast Cancer Center, Hospital Zambrano Hellion TecSalud, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64700, Mexico; [cynthia.villarreal@tecsalud.mx](cynthia.villarreal@tecsalud.mx) * Correspondence: [spaul@tec.mx](spaul@tec.mx) (S.P.); [raquel.cuevas.dd@tec.mx](raquel.cuevas.dd@tec.mx) (R.C.-D.D.)† These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is increasingly being used to reduce tumor burden prior to surgical resection. However, current techniques for assessing tumor response have signiﬁcant limitations. Additionally, drug resistance is commonly observed, raising a need to identify biomarkers that can predict treatment sensitivity and survival outcomes. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and have been shown to play a signiﬁcant role in cancer progression as tumor inducers or suppressors. The expression of circulating miRNAshas been found to be signiﬁcantly altered in breast cancer patients. Moreover, recent studies have suggested that circulating miRNAs can serve as non-invasive biomarkers for predicting response to NAT. Therefore, this review provides a brief overview of recent studies that have demonstrated the potential of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for predicting the clinical response to NAT in BC patients. The ﬁndings of this review will strengthen future research on developing miRNA-based biomarkers and their translation into medical practice, which could signiﬁcantly improve the clinical management of BC patients undergoing NAT. Keywords: miRNA; circulating miRNAs; breast cancer; neoadjuvant therapy 1. Introduction According to the World Health Organization, BC is the most frequent cancer diagnosed in women worldwide, with an estimated 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths in 2020 [1] . BC is biologically and clinically diverse, with several recognized histotypes and molecular subtypes with various etiologies, risk factor proﬁles, prognoses, and therapeutic response rates [2] . The optimal therapy is multimodal, and the treatment sequence considers molecular subtypes and locoregional tumor burden [3] . NAT refers to the systemic treatment of BC before deﬁnitive surgical therapy (i.e., preoperative therapy) [4] . The mechanisms of action of NAT through chemotherapy agents,

FAQs

Why are predictive biomarkers needed in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy?

Current techniques for assessing tumor response have significant limitations. Drug resistance is also commonly observed, so biomarkers are needed to predict treatment sensitivity and survival outcomes.

What is the main purpose of NAT in breast cancer management?

NAT is systemic treatment given before definitive surgery to reduce tumor burden, initially to enable breast conservation in locally advanced or inoperable cases and later also for some early-stage operable patients.

How might circulating microRNAs support prediction of clinical response to NAT?

Circulating microRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and are involved in cancer progression. Evidence suggests their levels are altered in breast cancer and may function as non-invasive biomarkers for predicting response to NAT.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by James