Long Non-coding RNA 01296 in Cancer: A Review of the Current Landscape and Future Directions

A growing number of studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are essential for the occurrence and progression of a broad spectrum of human malignancies. Long intergenic non-coding RNA 01296 (LINC01296), also known as double homeobox A pseudogene 9 (DUXAP9) and Lymph Node Metastasis-Associated Transcript 1 (LNMAT1), is an emerging oncogenic lncRNA widely documented to drive pathological processes in diverse tumor entities. Its oncogenic functions span digestive, urogenital and respiratory malignancies, alongside head and neck carcinomas, neuroblastoma, melanoma and osteosarcoma. LINC01296 acts predominantly as an oncogenic driver that orchestrates a cascade of malignant cellular phenotypes: uncontrolled proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, aberrant cell-cycle progression, augmented migration and invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, maintenance of cancer stem cell properties, tumor microenvironment remodeling and multidrug chemoresistance. Notably, elevated LINC01296 expression is closely correlated with adverse prognoses and aggressive clinicopathological characteristics across tumors. Herein, this review systematically consolidates recent research advances regarding LINC01296, including its tissue-specific expression profiles, multifaceted biological functions, clinical prognostic significance, intrinsic molecular characteristics and elaborate regulatory mechanisms in various cancer subtypes. Taken together, current preclinical and clinical findings indicate that LINC01296 could represent a tentative biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, and may serve as a plausible therapeutic target warranting further translational investigation.