Current Insights into Pharmacogenomics of Noncoding RNAs for Cancer Therapy

Cancer remains a significant global health challenge, with varying incidence and mortality rates across the globe. According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry [1] and the American Cancer Society (ACS) [2], more than 2 million new cancer cases are expected in the US by 2025. Understanding the burden of disease and advancements in tailored treatments, also known as precision or personalized medicine, is crucial for improving patient outcomes. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how an individual’s genetic makeup influences their response to treatment [3]. This field aims to identify genetic variations among individuals (pharmacogenomic variants) to predict drug efficacy and the risk of adverse drug reactions, thereby optimizing and personalizing treatment while minimizing side effects for patients [4]. In the last decade, attention has increasingly shifted beyond the traditional coding genome to noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), which serve as key regulators of gene expression and biomarkers in cancer, adding complexity to tumor signaling networks.