The relevance of long noncoding RNAs in colorectal cancer biology and clinical settings

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequent causes of cancer-related death worldwide. The prognosis of the malignancy and patient survival is commonly poor. Therefore, the discovery of pertinent biomarkers is essential to provide an accurate diagnosis and effective therapy. Newly, a group of noncoding RNAs named long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been found to involve in CRC development and progression. In this review, we highlighted the biological function of lncRNAs and reviewed their potentials as clinical tools in the CRC. A literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library using the MeSH terms "CRC," "long noncoding RNA," "lncRNA," and relevant was completed. The review included all articles that reported on the significance and role of lncRNAs in CRC development and clinical settings. All identified articles were cross-referenced for further articles, and any unavailable online were retrieved from hardcopy archive libraries. CRC-related lncRNAs could regulate a number of cellular processes, and their dysregulations have been suggested as potential biomarkers.