Low expression of long non-coding RNA LET inhibits carcinogenesis of cervical cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to play key roles in tumorgenesis, and the lncRNA LET is down-regulated in several cancers. However, little is known about the function of lncRNA LET in human cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of lncRNA LET expression in cervical cancer.

METHODS: We examined the expression of lncRNA LET in 94 cervical cancer tissues and matched adjacent non-tumor tissues using quantitative real-time PCR and analyzed its correlation with the clinicopathological features.

RESULTS: The results showed that lncRNA LET expression in cervical cancer tissues was significantly down-regulated compared with the adjacent non-tumor tissues (P < 0.05). Decreased lncRNA LET expression was significantly correlated with FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis, and depth of cervical invasion (P < 0.05), but not other clinical characteristics. Moreover, cervical cancer patients with lncRNA LET lower expression have shown significantly poorer overall survival than those with higher lncRNA LET expression (P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that lncRNA LET expression served as an independent predictor for overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data provided the first evidence that lncRNA LET may represent a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for cervical cancer.