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World J Clin Cases. Nov 16, 2021; 9(32): 9699-9710
Published online Nov 16, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i32.9699
Emerging role of long noncoding RNAs in recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma
Yuan Fang, Yang Yang, Na Li, Xiao-Li Zhang, Han-Fei Huang
Yuan Fang, Na Li, Han-Fei Huang, Organ Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan Province, China
Yang Yang, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan Province, China
Xiao-Li Zhang, Department of Gastrointestinal and Hernia Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan Province, China
Author contributions: Fang Y and Yang Y contributed equally to this work and should be regarded as co-first authors; Huang HF contributed to the manuscript conceptualization; Fang Y and Yang Y drafted the original manuscript, surveyed the literature, and managed the data; Li N and Zhang XL reviewed and edited the full content of the manuscript; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Han-Fei Huang, MD, Chief Doctor, Organ Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, No. 295 Xichang Road, Kunming 650032, Yunnan Province, China. kmhhf@126.com
Received: April 18, 2021
Peer-review started: April 18, 2021
First decision: June 3, 2021
Revised: June 5, 2021
Accepted: September 8, 2021
Article in press: September 8, 2021
Published online: November 16, 2021
Processing time: 205 Days and 19.9 Hours
Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most frequent types of liver cancer and is characterized by a high recurrence rate. Recent studies have proposed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential biomarkers in several recurrent tumor types. It is now well understood that invasion, migration, and metastasis are important factors for tumor recurrence. Moreover, some of the known risk factors for HCC may affect the expression levels of several types of lncRNAs and thus affect the recurrence of liver cancer through lncRNA regulation. In this paper, we review the biological functions, molecular mechanisms, and roles of lncRNAs in HCC and summarize current knowledge about lncRNAs as potential biomarkers in recurrent HCC.

Keywords: Long non-coding RNAs; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver cancer; Biomarker; Recurrence

Core Tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most recurring malignant tumors in the world. Intrahepatic metastasis and multicenter occurrence are two ways of recurrence of HCC. Currently, a growing number of studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), regulators of human gene expression, are abnormally expressed and influence the development of HCC. So, we need to further understand the significance of lncRNAs in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of recurrent HCC and explore the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in the occurrence and treatment of recurrent HCC.