Long noncoding RNAs, glucose metabolism and cancer (Review)

Cancer is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease, which, despite numerous advances over several decades, remains a challenge to treat that challenging to detect at an early stage or treat during the later stages. Long noncoding RNAs are >200 nucleotides long and do not possess protein-coding capacity, instead regulating cellular processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, maturation, apoptosis, metastasis, and sugar metabolism. Several studies have shown the role of lncRNAs and glucose metabolism in regulating several key glycolytic enzymes and the activity of multiple functional signaling pathways during tumor progression. Thus, it is possible to further learn about the effects of lncRNA and glycolytic metabolism on tumor diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis through a thorough investigation of the lncRNA expression profiles and glycolytic metabolism in tumors. This may provide a novel strategy for improving the management of several types of cancer.