New insights into the roles of ncRNA in the STAT3 pathway

STAT3 signaling has been linked to the development of various cancers and is widely recognized as a critical molecular target for cancer therapy. ncRNAs, especially miRNAs and IncRNAs, are acting as promising biomarkers and therapy targets implicated in tumor pathogenesis. This review focuses on the most up-to-date knowledge of miRNAs and IncRNAs, and their involvement with STAT3 signaling. The important miRNAs involved in the STAT3 pathway are summarized in a complex interaction network. The IncRNAs' potential for targeting STAT3 at post-transcriptional level was predicted based upon IncRNA-mRNA interaction. The current and potential STAT3-targeted therapeutics are also discussed.