Expression of and long-chain non-coding RNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues is predictive of patient prognosis.

INTRODUCTION

The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) urothelial cancer associated 1 () and metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 () are known to impact cancer cell regulation. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between the expression of these lncRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and disease prognosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The expression of and lncRNAs was assessed in ESCC and adjacent carcinoma tissues (5 cm away from the tumor) and evaluated in relation to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients. This prospective study included 100 ESCC patients who were admitted to the First Hospital of Yulin City between January 2007 and January 2014.

RESULTS

The expression levels of and lncRNAs in ESCC tissues were significantly higher than those in adjacent carcinoma tissues, and there were statistically significant differences in TNM staging between the patients with high lncRNA expression and low lncRNA expression. The OS and DFS of patients with high and lncRNA expression levels were significantly shorter than those with low expression levels. Furthermore, the OS and DFS of ESCC patients appeared to be correlated with TNM staging.

CONCLUSIONS

These results imply that the up-regulation of and lncRNAs in ESCC tissues can impact the degree of tumor progression and is predictive of postoperative survival. Therefore, the expression levels of these lncRNAs can be used as measurement indexes to determine the prognosis of ESCC patients.