J Cancer 2016; 7(10):1258-1264. doi:10.7150/jca.14869 This issue Cite
Review
1. Computational Systems Biology Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
2. Department of Bioinformatics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China.
LncRNAs are a group of ncRNA species longer than 200 nt, which have fundamental regulatory roles in diverse cellular processes and diseases progression. Esophageal cancer is a serious malignancy with respect to prognosis and mortality rate. It is among the five leading cancer types for the cancer deaths in males of middle age in the United States. In China, esophageal cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death. The molecular mechanisms of esophageal cancer development are not fully understood, but emerging studies point out that lncRNAs may actively associate with the pathogenesis. In this review, we first provided an introduction of lncRNAs classifications. Then we focused on the recent findings on lncRNA expression and function in esophageal cancer development. Implications for pathogenesis and potential drug developments will also be discussed.
Keywords: LncRNA, Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Pathogenesis, Drug Development.