Increased expression of the long non-coding RNA UCA1 in tongue squamous cell carcinomas: a possible correlation with cancer metastasis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the expression of several cancer-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) and to explore its clinical significance. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 94 TSCC tissue specimens and matched adjacent normal tissue specimens were collected from patients undergoing surgery for TSCC. Differences in the expression of cancer-related lncRNAs were examined via quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. WST-1 assay and transwell migration assay were carried out to estimate the proliferation and migration abilities of TSCC cells with different expression levels of urothelial cancer-associated 1 (UCA1) lncRNA. RESULTS: The expression levels of lncRNA UCA1 were significantly elevated in TSCC tissues (P < .0001) and were statistically correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = .0371). Over-expression of UCA1 lncRNA could promote metastatic but not proliferation ability of TSCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of UCA1 lncRNA was enhanced in TSCCs and may play a role in tumor metastasis.