MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and control key processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, and immune responses. Their dysregulation is a hallmark of cancer, where they function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors to shape tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Owing to their stability in tissues and body fluids, miRNAs have also emerged as promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets (Calin and Croce, 2006).

Building on previous volumes, this third installment highlights recent advances in miRNA research in cancer. The four contributions in this Research Topic provide complementary perspectives spanning tumor-specific regulation, signaling networks, biomarker development, and RNA regulatory mechanisms.

A central theme emerging from this Research Topic is the role of miRNAs in tumorigenesis within specific cancer contexts. The review by Romani et al. summarizes current knowledge on miRNA involvement in adult ocular tumors, particularly uveal melanoma. The authors demonstrate how dysregulated miRNA networks contribute to tumor development, metastatic behavior, and clinical outcomes. Importantly, they highlight the potential of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers detectable in ocular tissues and fluids, as well as their promise as therapeutic targets. The discussion of miRNA-based nanomedicine further illustrates how advances in delivery systems may facilitate the clinical translation of miRNA-targeted therapies.

Beyond tumor-specific settings, miRNAs function as central regulators of major oncogenic signaling pathways. Gupta et al. provide an integrated overview of the interplay between miRNAs, WNT signaling, and flavonoids. Their work emphasizes the bidirectional regulation between miRNAs and WNT pathway components, which shapes tumor growth, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Notably, the authors highlight flavonoids as modulators of miRNA expression, introducing a novel therapeutic perspective in which natural compounds can reprogram oncogenic signaling networks via miRNA regulation. This integrative framework supports the development of multi-targeted therapeutic strategies combining pathway modulation and epigenetic regulation.

The translational relevance of miRNAs is further exemplified in breast cancer. Baylie et al. review the role of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as regulators of key oncogenic pathways such as PI3K/AKT signaling. By influencing proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and apoptosis, miRNAs contribute to multiple hallmarks of breast cancer. Importantly, circulating miRNAs-including miR-9, miR-10b, and miR-155-are highlighted as promising non-invasive biomarkers detectable in body fluids. These findings underscore the growing importance of miRNA-based liquid biopsy approaches in precision oncology.

Complementing these miRNA-focused studies, Kalathiya and Padariya provide mechanistic insights into RNA regulation through their investigation of the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway. Using molecular dynamics simulations, the authors reveal how cancer-associated mutations can alter protein–mRNA interactions and affect mRNA surveillance. Although not exclusively centered on miRNAs, this study expands the conceptual framework of RNA-based regulation in cancer, highlighting the interplay between mRNA quality control systems and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

Collectively, these contributions highlight miRNAs as central regulators linking signaling pathways, epigenetic control, and tumor behavior. Advances in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics continue to accelerate the identification and functional characterization of miRNAs, while their utility as minimally invasive biomarkers and therapeutic targets is rapidly expanding (Rupaimoole and Slack, 2017).

Despite this progress, several challenges remain, including limited delivery efficiency, potential off-target effects, and the context-dependent functions of individual miRNAs within complex regulatory networks. Addressing these barriers will be essential for translating miRNA-based strategies into clinical applications.

Overall, this Research Topic underscores the expanding role of miRNAs in cancer biology and highlights their potential to drive next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic innovations in precision oncology.

QY: Validation, Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing, Writing – original draft.

The author(s) declared that financial support was not received for this work and/or its publication.

The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The author(s) declared that generative AI was not used in the creation of this manuscript.

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CalinG. A.CroceC. M. (2006). MicroRNA signatures in human cancers. Nat. Rev. Cancer6, 857–866. 10.1038/nrc1997

RupaimooleR.SlackF. J. (2017). MicroRNA therapeutics: towards a new era for the management of cancer and other diseases. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov.16, 203–222. 10.1038/nrd.2016.246

Keywords

biomarkers, cancer pathogenesis, MicroRNAs, therapeutic targets, tumor microenvironment

Citation

Yin Q (2026) Editorial: Exploring miRNA roles in cancer pathogenesis and treatment, volume III. Front. Mol. Biosci. 13:1833720. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2026.1833720

Received

18 March 2026

Accepted

02 April 2026

Published

17 April 2026

Volume

13 - 2026

Edited and reviewed by

André P. Gerber, University of Surrey, United Kingdom

Updates

Copyright

© 2026 Yin.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Qinan Yin, qinanyin@gmail.com

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.