The oxidative stress-associated long non-coding RNAs in pancreatic cancer

A lot of people are dying from pancreatic cancer (PC) annually. The early detection of this cancer is particularly challenging due to the fact that symptoms tend to appear in advanced stages. It has been suggested that oxidative stress may play a role in the development of PC. Several genes regulate this process, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). There is no comprehensive study on the expression pattern of lncRNAs related to oxidative stress in PC patients. In the present case-control study, we quantified levels of oxidative stress-associated lncRNAs in PC patients versus healthy controls.

In the present study, we investigated the expression levels of lincRNA-p21, LUCAT, RMST, FOXD3-AS1, and MT1DP lncRNAs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 53 ​PC patients and 50 healthy controls. The association between lncRNA expression and clinical and pathological characteristics was also evaluated.

The expression of lincRNA-P21 and rhabdomyosarcoma 2-associated transcript (RMST) lncRNAs in PC patients has significantly decreased. Expression of lncRNA RMST was significantly higher in TNM stage III-IV patients in comparison to TNM stage I-II patients. In addition, a significant positive association was recognized between candidate lncRNA expression, and finally, the AUC values of the expression levels of lincRNA-p21 and RMST were 0.60 and 0.61, respectively.

Altogether, our study suggests a possible role of lincRNA-p21 and RMST lncRNAs in the etiology of PC pathobiology, and their biomarker role may be understood in future studies.