Tong Liu,* Xin Zhang,* Yong-mei Yang, Lu-tao Du, Chuan-xin Wang Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally tothis work Background: The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed– h (CRNDE-h) plays important roles in the early stages of human development and cancer progression. We investigated the expression and clinical significance of lncRNA CRNDE-h in colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: The expression level of lncRNA CRNDE-h was analyzed in 142 CRC tissues and 142 paired adjacent nontumorous tissues, along with 21 inflammatory bowel diseases, 69 hyperplastic polyp, and 73 colorectal adenoma samples, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The association between lncRNA CRNDE-h, and Iroquois homeobox protein 5 (IRX5) mRNA was examined in the same 142 CRC tissues. Results: We found that lncRNA CRNDE-h level was elevated in the CRC and adenoma groups compared with the other groups (all at P