Clinical significance of lncRNA-ATB expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide health problem and it is important to understand the mechanistic roles of the biomolecules involved in its pathogenesis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently and aberrantly expressed in various human cancers and are known to play a role in cancer pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of lncRNA-ATB in HCC and investigate the implications for prognoses. In total, 100 samples of HCC tissues and their corresponding, adjacent, noncancerous liver tissues were collected. Total RNAs were extracted and the expression levels of lncRNA-ATB were measured by qRT-PCR. The association of lncRNA expression with clinicopathological features and patient survival were then analyzed. LncRNA-ATB was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues compared with the levels in corresponding non-cancerous tissues. Expression of lncRNA-ATB was significantly associated with portal vein thrombosis, intrahepatic or extrahepatic metastases, mUICC stage, and the BCLC stage. Large tumors (> 5 cm, HR = 3.851, 95% CI = 1.431-10.364, p = 0.008) and higher lncRNA-ATB expression (HR = 4.158, 95% CI = 1.226-14.107, p = 0.022) were the significant prognostic factors for overall survival. With this novel evidence of the involvement of lncRNA-ATB in HCC pathogenesis and clinical features, lncRNA-ATB can be concluded to have potential as a biomarker for the prognosis of HCC and as a targeted therapy for afflicted patients.