Role of micro<scp>RNA</scp>s in primary central nervous system lymphomas

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Primary central nervous system lymphomas (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PCNSL</jats:styled-content>) are extranodal non‐Hodgkin lymphomas arising exclusively inside the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CNS</jats:styled-content>, and account for about 3% of primary intracranial tumours. This tumour lacks systemic manifestations and prognosis of patients with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PCNSL</jats:styled-content> remains poor despite recent advancement of chemoradiotherapy. Micro<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RNA</jats:styled-content>s are small non‐coding <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RNA</jats:styled-content>s that post‐transcriptionally downregulate gene expression by binding to target <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">mRNA</jats:styled-content>s, inducing their degradation or translational repression. Micro<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RNA</jats:styled-content>s play significant roles in almost all malignancy‐related biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and metabolism. Many deregulated mi<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RNA</jats:styled-content>s has been identified in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PCNSL</jats:styled-content> but their biological significance remains to be fully elucidated. In this review, we summarize current evidence regarding the pathogenic role of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PCNSL</jats:styled-content>‐associated micro<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RNA</jats:styled-content>s and their potential applications for diagnosis and prognostication of this deadly disease.</jats:p>