Long non-coding RNA Loc344887 is a potential prognostic biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer

Long non-coding RNA NmrA-like family domain containing 1 pseudogene (Loc344887) has been shown to be aberrantly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the biological function of Loc344887 in NSCLC remains unknown. The present study aimed to explore the prognosis value of Loc344887 in NSCLC patients.

Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of Loc344887 in NSCLC tissues and adjacent non-tumor lung tissues. Correlations between Loc344887 expression and the clinicopathological features of NSCLC patients were then evaluated. Overall survival was examined using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox regression analyses were performed to judge whether plasma Loc344887 was an independent predictor of survival.

The expression levels of Loc344887 were increased in NSCLC tissues compared with those in normal lung tissues (p < 0.05). High Loc344887 expression level was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.005), advance stage (p = 0.001), and poorer differentiation (p = 0.014). Furthermore, patients with high expression of Loc344887 had a significantly shorter overall survival time compared with those with low Loc344887 expression in NSCLC (p < 0.001). Further analysis by Cox regression showed that high expression of Loc344887 in NSCLC was an independent predictor of poor prognosis.

These findings, for the first time, suggested the potential roles of Loc344887as a prognostic factor and as a therapeutic target for NSCLC.