: It generally acts as a tumor suppressor . Its downregulation is linked to increased proliferation and metastasis in glioblastoma, lung, breast, and colorectal cancers by failing to inhibit oncogenic pathways like EGFR/PI3K/Akt .
: Its expression levels in peripheral blood or tissues can serve as a biomarker for cancer prognosis or disease staging.
: Its levels are controlled post-transcriptionally by "sponges" like circular RNA ciRS-7 (also known as CDR1as), which contains over 70 binding sites for miR-7 and can effectively quench its activity. Role in Pathophysiology