微小核糖核酸(miRNA)是一类非编码RNA(ncRNA)，可以在转录后调控特定基因。失调的miRNA与多种疾病相关。MiR‑181a‑5p是一种保守的miRNA，具有调节病理过程（如血管生成、炎症反应和肥胖）的能力。许多研究表明，miR‑181a‑5p在癌症的发展和进展中发挥调节作用，在各种癌症类型中作为致癌miRNA或肿瘤抑制因子影响肿瘤的多个特征。通常，miR‑181a‑5p通过部分互补结合目标RNA序列，从而抑制miR‑181a‑5p的靶基因。然而，miR‑181a‑5p在癌症中的确切作用尚未完全理解。本综述旨在全面总结近期关于miR‑181a‑5p的研究，重点论述其在不同类型的癌症中的参与作用以及其作为诊断和预后生物标志物的潜力，以及在化疗抗药性中的功能。

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non‑coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that can post‑transcriptionally suppress targeted genes. Dysregulated miRNAs are associated with a variety of diseases. MiR‑181a‑5p is a conserved miRNA with the ability to regulate pathological processes, such as angiogenesis, inflammatory response and obesity. Numerous studies have demonstrated that miR‑181a‑5p exerts regulatory influence on cancer development and progression, acting as an oncomiR or tumor inhibitor in various cancer types by impacting multiple hallmarks of tumor. Generally, miR‑181a‑5p binds to target RNA sequences with partial complementarity, resulting in suppression of the targeted genes of miR‑181a‑5p. However, the precise role of miR‑181a‑5p in cancer remains incompletely understood. The present review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of recent research on miR‑181a‑5p, focusing on its involvement in different types of cancer and its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, as well as its function in chemoresistance.