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Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to perform significant roles in cancer development and progression. Our research has found that a novel lncRNA n326322 was higher in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Moreover, the gain and loss of functional approaches revealed that the overexpression of lncRNA-n326322 promoted NPC cell proliferation and invasion, whereas the downregulation of lncRNA-n326322 suppressed cell proliferation and invasion. Further experiments demonstrated that potential mechanism may be associated with the activation of PI3K/AKT and ERK/MAPK pathways. Taken together, these results indicate that lncRNA-n326322 is associated with tumorigenesis of NPC., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in cancer cell tumorigenesis, cell cycle control, migration, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis and drug resistance. The BRAF-activated non-coding RNA (BANCR) functions as both an oncogene and a tumor suppressor. Here, we investigated BANCR's role in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by assessing BANCR levels in PTC and matched normal thyroid epithelial tissues from 92 patients using qRT-PCR. We also used lentiviral vectors to establish PTC cell lines to investigate the effects of BANCR overexpression on cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion. Our results indicate BANCR levels are lower in PTC tumor tissues than control tissues. Decreased BANCR levels correlate with tumor size, the presence of multifocal lesions and advanced PTC stage. BANCR overexpression reduced PTC cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis, which inhibited metastasis. It also inactivated ERK1/2 and p38, and this effect was enhanced by treatment with the MEK inhibitor U0126. Finally, BANCR overexpression dramatically inhibited tumor growth from PTC cells in xenograft mouse models. These results suggest BANCR inhibits tumorigenesis in PTC and that BANCR levels may be used as a novel prognostic marker.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) has a propensity to cervical lymph node metastases (LNM). Recent studies have shown that both the number of involved lymph nodes (LNs) and the metastatic lymph node ratio (MLNR) confer prognostic information. This study was to determine the predictive value of MLNR on cancer-specific survival (CSS) in SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results)-registered MTC patients treated with thyroidectomy and lymphadenectomy between 1991 and 2012, investigate the cutoff points for MLNR in stratifying risk of mortality and provide evidence for selection of appropriate treatment strategies. X-tile program determined 0.5 as optimal cut-off value for MLNR in terms of CSS in 890 MTC patients. According to multivariate Cox regression analysis, MLNR (0.50-1.00) is a significant independent prognostic factor for CSS (hazard ratio 2.161, 95% confidence interval 1.327-3.519, p=0.002). MLNR (0.50-1.00) has a greater prognostic impact on CSS in female, non-Hispanic white, T3/4, N1b and M1 patients. The lymph node yield (LNY) influences the effect of MLNR on CSS; LNY ≥9 results in MLNR (0.50-1.00) having a higher HR for CSS than MLNR (0.00-0.49). In conclusion, higher MLNRs predict poorer survival in MTC patients. Eradication of involved nodes ensures accurate staging and maximizes the ability of MLNR to predict prognosis.