Long non-coding RNAs in gastric cancer: versatile mechanisms and potential for clinical translation

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a serious threat to many people, representing the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The lack of early diagnostic biomarkers, effective prognostic indicators and therapeutic targets all account for the poor prognosis of GC. Therefore, the identification of novel molecular biomarkers for early diagnosis, therapeutic response, and prognosis are urgently needed. High-throughput sequencing has identified a large number of transcribed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) throughout the human genome. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that these lncRNAs play multiple roles in regulating gene expression at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and epigenetic levels. Aberrant expression of lncRNAs occurs in various pathological processes, including GC. Many dysregulated lncRNAs in GC have been significantly associated with a larger tumor size, higher degree of tumor invasion, lymph node and distant metastasis, and poorer survival outcome. In this review, we will provide an overview of the pathogenesis of GC, the characteristics and regulatory functions of lncRNAs, and the versatile mechanisms of lncRNAs in GC development, as well as evaluate the translational potential of lncRNAs as novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in GC.