Non-coding RNAs as a new dawn in tumor diagnosis

The current knowledge about non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as important regulators of gene expression inboth physiological and pathological conditions, has been the main engine for the design of innovativeplatforms to finalize the pharmacological application of ncRNAs as either therapeutic tools or as molecu-lar biomarkers in cancer. Biochemical alterations of cancer cells are, in fact, largely supported by ncRNAdisregulation in the tumor site, which, in turn, reflects the cancer-associated specific modification of cir-culating ncRNA expression pattern. The aim of this review is to describe the state of the art of pre-clinicaland clinical studies that analyze the involvement of miRNAs and lncRNAs in cancer-related processes,such as proliferation, invasion and metastases, giving emphasis to their functional role. A central nodeof our work has been also the examination of advantages and criticisms correlated with the clinical useof ncRNAs, taking into account the pressing need to refine the profiling methods aimed at identify noveldiagnostic and prognostic markers and the request to optimize the delivery of such nucleic acids for atherapeutic use in an imminent future.