Biological role of long non-coding RNA in head and neck cancers

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are one of the worst prognosis cancers with high mortality of patients. The treatment strategy is primarily based on surgery and radiotherapy but chemotherapy is also used. Every year the knowledge concerning HNSCC biology is updated with new elements such as the recent discovered molecules - long non-coding RNAs. Long non-coding RNAs are involved in regulatory processes in the cells. It has been revealed that the expression levels of lncRNAs are disturbed in tumor cells what results in the acquisition of their specific phenotype. lncRNAs influence cell growth, cell cycle, cell phenotype, migration and invasion ability as well as apoptosis. Development of the lncRNA panel characteristic for HNSCC and validation of specific lncRNA functions are yet to be elucidated. In this work, we collected available data concerning lncRNAs in HNSCC and characterized their biological role. We believe that the tumor examination, in the context of lncRNA expression, may lead to understanding complex biology of the cancer and improve therapeutic methods in the future.