LncRNA DRAIR is a novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer.

LncRNA diabetes regulated anti-inflammatory RNA (DRAIR) has been reported to be involved in diabetes-induced injury. However, its role in other human diseases is unclear. Our preliminary sequencing analysis showed its expression was altered in gastric cancer (GC). Thus, this study aimed to explore its diagnostic and prognostic values in GC. DRAIR expression in paired tumor and non-tumor tissues and plasma of GC patients and control samples was determined by RT-qPCR. The diagnostic value of DRAIR for early-stage GC was analyzed using ROC curve analysis. The prognostic value of DRAIR was explored by performing a follow-up (5-year) study. DRAIR expression was downregulated in GC tissues than in non-tumor tissues and in plasma of GC patients than in plasma of healthy controls. DRAIR expression in tumor tissues was closely and positively correlated with its expression in plasma. Plasma DRAIR effectively separated GC patients from controls. High DRAIR levels in tumor tissues and plasma samples were closely correlated with poor survival of GC patients. DRAIR is overexpressed in GC and may serve as an early diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for GC.