Aims: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with cancer development, while their relationship with the cancer-associated stromal components remains poorly understood. In this review, we performed a broad description of the functional landscape of stroma-associated lncRNAs in various cancers and their roles in regulating the tumor-stroma crosstalk.
Materials and methods: We carried out a systematic literature review of PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Bentham, and EMBASE (Elsevier) databases by using the keywords "LncRNAs in cancer," "LncRNAs in tumor stroma," "stroma," "cancer-associated stroma," "stroma in the tumor microenvironment," "tumor-stroma crosstalk," "drug resistance of stroma," and "stroma in immunosuppression" till July 2020. We collected the latest articles addressing the biological functions of stroma-associated lncRNAs in cancer.
Key findings: These articles reported that dysregulated stroma-associated lncRNAs play significant roles in modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) by the regulation of tumor-stroma crosstalk, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT), extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover, and tumor immunity.
Significance: The tumor stroma is a substantial portion of the TME, and the dysregulation of tumor stroma-associated lncRNAs significantly contributes to cancer initiation, progression, angiogenesis, immune evasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. Thus, stroma-associated lncRNAs could be potentially useful targets for cancer therapy.
Keywords: Cancer therapy; Long non-coding RNAs; Tumor microenvironment; Tumor stroma; Tumor-stroma crosstalk.
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