Lnc RNA在食管癌中的研究进展

食管癌(esophageal cancer, EC)已经成为世界第六大死亡原因和第八种最常见的癌症，是最致命的恶性肿瘤之一，亚洲地区的主要病理类型是食管鳞癌(esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, ESCC)。诊断EC的传统生物标志物包括CEA、CA19-9和SCCA等。由于传统生物标志物的诊断敏感性偏低和特异性不强，EC的早期诊断仍较困难，因此导致预后欠佳。EC存在一个复杂而重要的基因调控网络，但其发病机制尚不清楚。长链非编码RNA(long non-coding RNA, Lnc RNA)可预测多种恶性肿瘤的发生或预后，并可能成为一类新的肿瘤标记物及潜在的治疗靶标。本综述主要阐述Lnc RNA在EC中的作用和调控机制，并讨论其作为诊断、治疗和预后生物标志物的潜在临床应用。

Research progress of Lnc RNA in esophageal cancer*

Esophageal cancer ranks eighth among the most common malignant tumors in the world, which is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death, and is one of the most lethal malignant tumors. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is the main pathological type of esophageal cancer in Asia. Traditional biomarkers for diagnosis of esophageal cancer include CEA, CA19-9 and SCCA. However, the early diagnosis of esophageal cancer is still difficult due to the lack of high sensitivity and specificity, resulting in poor prognosis. Recent studies have shown that Lnc RNA can predict the occurrence and prognosis of many malignant tumors, and may become a new class of tumor markers and potential therapeutic targets. In this review, we elaborate on the role and regulatory mechanism of Lnc RNA in esophageal cancer, as well as the potential clinical application as a biomarker for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.