LncRNA Biomarkers of Inflammation and Cancer.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are promising candidates as biomarkers of inflammation and cancer. LncRNAs have several properties that make them well-suited as molecular markers of disease: (1) many lncRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific manner, (2) distinct lncRNAs are upregulated based on different inflammatory or oncogenic stimuli, (3) lncRNAs released from cells are packaged and protected in extracellular vesicles, and (4) circulating lncRNAs in the blood are detectable using various RNA sequencing approaches. Here we focus on the potential for lncRNA biomarkers to detect inflammation and cancer, highlighting key biological, technological, and analytical considerations that will help advance the development of lncRNA-based liquid biopsies.