Lei Cing-Syuan, Kung Hsing-Jien, Shih Jing-Wen
Ph.D. Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 5;22(9):4903. doi: 10.3390/ijms22094903.
Oral cancer is one of the leading malignant tumors worldwide. Despite the advent of multidisciplinary approaches, the overall prognosis of patients with oral cancer is poor, mainly due to late diagnosis. There is an urgent need to develop valid biomarkers for early detection and effective therapies. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are recognized as key elements of gene regulation, with pivotal roles in various physiological and pathological processes, including cancer. Over the past few years, an exponentially growing number of lncRNAs have been identified and linked to tumorigenesis and prognosis outcomes in oral cancer, illustrating their emerging roles in oral cancer progression and the associated signaling pathways. Herein, we aim to summarize the most recent advances made concerning oral cancer-associated lncRNA, and their expression, involvement, and potential clinical impact, reported to date, with a specific focus on the lncRNA-mediated molecular regulation in oncogenic signaling cascades and oral malignant progression, while exploring their potential, and challenges, for clinical applications as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for oral cancer.
口腔癌是全球主要的恶性肿瘤之一。尽管多学科治疗方法不断涌现，但口腔癌患者的总体预后仍然较差，主要原因是诊断较晚。迫切需要开发有效的生物标志物用于早期检测和有效的治疗方法。长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）被认为是基因调控的关键元件，在包括癌症在内的各种生理和病理过程中发挥着关键作用。在过去几年中，已鉴定出数量呈指数级增长的lncRNAs，并将其与口腔癌的肿瘤发生和预后结果联系起来，这说明了它们在口腔癌进展及相关信号通路中日益重要的作用。在此，我们旨在总结迄今为止报道的关于口腔癌相关lncRNA的最新进展，及其表达、参与情况和潜在的临床影响，特别关注lncRNA介导的致癌信号级联反应和口腔恶性进展中的分子调控，同时探讨它们作为口腔癌生物标志物或治疗靶点在临床应用中的潜力和挑战。
