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The overall survival of brain cancer patients remains grim, with conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy only providing marginal benefits to patient survival. Cancers are complex, with multiple pathways being dysregulated simultaneously. Non-coding RNAs such as microRNA (miRNAs) are gaining importance due to their potential in regulating a variety of targets implicated in the pathology of cancers. This could be leveraged for the development of targeted and personalized therapies for cancers. Since miRNAs can upregulate and/or downregulate proteins, this review aims to understand the role of these miRNAs in primary and metastatic brain cancers. Here, we discuss the regulatory mechanisms of ten miRNAs that are highly dysregulated in glioblastoma and metastatic brain tumors. This will enable researchers to develop miRNA-based targeted cancer therapies and identify potential prognostic biomarkers.

Brain cancer is one among the rare cancers with high mortality rate that affects both children and adults. The most aggressive form of primary brain tumor is glioblastoma. Secondary brain tumors most commonly metastasize from primary cancers of lung, breast, or melanoma. The five-year survival of primary and secondary brain tumors is 34% and 2.4%, respectively. Owing to poor prognosis, tumor heterogeneity, increased tumor relapse, and resistance to therapies, brain cancers have high mortality and poor survival rates compared to other cancers. Early diagnosis, effective targeted treatments, and improved prognosis have the potential to increase the …