Long non-coding RNAs as emerging regulators of epithelial to mesenchymal transition in gynecologic cancers

Gynecologic cancer is a vital global healthcare issue with high rates of mortality and morbidity. Tumor metastasis attributes to most of the death suffering from solid tumors. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a pivotal role in initiating metastasis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a well-known group of non-coding RNAs, and a prominent topic in life science research, are misregulated in many malignancies and some are EMT-associated. In the case of gynecologic cancers, several EMT-associated lncRNAs have been identified and found to be implicated in cancer aggressiveness and progression. Mechanically, these lncRNAs participate in the EMT-related metastatic process in multiple ways including interaction with polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), regulation of EMT signaling networks, mediation of EMT-transcription factors (EMT-TFs) and EMT markers, and cooperation with microRNAs (miRNAs). Further studies on these EMT-associated lncRNAs and identification of more relevant lncRNAs are imperative for the lncRNAs-based clinical management of high rate of metastasis in patients with gynecologic cancers.