Open Access

REVIEW

Non-coding RNA as future target for diagnose and treatment of perineural invasion in cancers

by BINGJIE LI^1,#, WENBO CAO^1,2,3,#, JINJING XIAO¹, YIXIAO CHEN¹, QIYING WEI¹, MINGJIN YUE⁴, SAIJUN MO^1,2,3,*

1 Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
2 Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Cancer Chemoprevention, Zhengzhou, China
3 State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Zhengzhou, China
4 Department of Research and Development, Henan Tianxing Education and Media Company Limited, Zhengzhou, China

* Corresponding Author: SAIJUN MO. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Biomarker Research: Unveiling the Pathways to Precision Medicine)

BIOCELL 2024, 48(6), 923-934. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2024.049160

Received 29 December 2023; Accepted 21 February 2024; Issue published 10 June 2024

Abstract

Perineural invasion (PNI), a particularly insidious form of tumor metastasis distinct from hematogenous or lymphatic spread, has the capacity to extend well beyond the primary tumor site, infiltrating distant regions devoid of lymphatic or vascular structures. PNI often heralds a decrease in patient survival rates and is recognized as an indicator of an unfavorable prognosis across a variety of cancers. Despite its clinical significance, the underlying molecular mechanisms of PNI remain elusive, complicating the development of specific and efficacious diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. In the realm of cancer research, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have attracted considerable attention due to their multifaceted roles and cancer-specific expression profiles, positioning them as promising candidates for applications in cancer diagnostics, prognostics, and treatment. Among the various types of ncRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as influential players in PNI. Their involvement is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor to tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Our study synthesizes and explores the diverse functions and mechanisms of ncRNAs in relation to PNI in cancer. This comprehensive review aims to shed light on cutting-edge perspectives that could pave the way for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to address the challenges posed by PNI in oncology.

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Keywords

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