Lung cancer-associated mortality is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), with no protein-coding ability, have multiple biological roles. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a recently characterized class of ncRNAs that are over 200 nucleotides in length. Many lncRNAs have the ability of facilitating or inhibiting the development and progression of tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because of their fundamental roles in regulating gene expression, along with their involvement in the biological mechanisms underlying tumourigenesis, they are a promising class of tissue- and/or blood-based cancer biomarkers. In this review, we highlight the emerging roles of lncRNAs in NSCLC, and discuss their potential clinical applications as diagnostic and prognostic markers and as therapeutic targets.
Keywords: biomarker; long non-coding RNA; molecular target; non-small cell lung cancer.
© 2014 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.