MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small non-coding RNAs with an
important regulatory role in various physiological processes as well as
in several pathologies including cancers. It is noteworthy that recent
evidence suggests that the regulatory role of miRNAs during
carcinogenesis is not limited to the cancer cells but they are also
implicated in the activation of tumour stroma and its transition into a
cancer-associated state. Results from experimental studies involving
cells cultured in vitro and mice bearing experimental tumours,
corroborated by profiling of clinical cancers for miRNA expression,
underline this role and identify miRNAs as a potent regulator of the
crosstalk between cancer and stroma cells. Considering the fundamental
role of the tumour microenvironment in determining both the clinical
characteristics of the disease and the efficacy of anticancer therapy,
miRNAs emerge as an attractive target bearing important prognostic and
therapeutic significance during carcinogenesis. In this article, we will
review the available results that underline the role of miRNAs in tumour
stroma biology and emphasise their potential value as tools for the
management of the disease
