The Multifaceted Role of miR-18b in Cancer: Exploring Oncogenic and Tumor-Suppressive Functions

Abstract

Cancer continues to pose a major global health challenge due to its high mortality rates and increasing incidence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are small non-coding RNAs regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, are pivotal in the development of cancer, serving either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. miR-18b has become involved in a number of cancers and has been shown to perform both tumor-suppressive and carcinogenic activities. This review examines the biogenesis, molecular mechanisms, and functional roles of miR-18b across several cancers, including breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and other malignancies. Treatment resistance, metastasis, and the advancement of cancer are all influenced by miR-18b through its regulation of vital pathways and interactions with circular and long non-coding RNAs. These findings emphasize the importance of miR-18b in developing cancer treatment approaches by highlighting its possible roles as a therapeutic target and diagnostic biomarker.