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. 2025 Apr 28;16(1):630.
doi: 10.1007/s12672-025-02465-8.

Gene expression profiling of lncRNA-HOTAIR and lncRNA-MALAT1 in esophageal cancer: uncovering links to lifestyle factors and diagnostic significance

Vahid Ghorbani  1 , Saeid Ghorbian  2
Affiliations

Gene expression profiling of lncRNA-HOTAIR and lncRNA-MALAT1 in esophageal cancer: uncovering links to lifestyle factors and diagnostic significance

Vahid Ghorbani et al. Discov Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) is the sixth most common cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Genetic and environmental factors could be affected in EC's onset and development. The potential involvement of lncRNA-HOTAIR and lncRNA-MALAT1 in EC has garnered significant attention in recent studies. Our investigation aimed to examine lncRNA-HOTAIR and lncRNA-MALAT1 gene expression changes in EC patients.

Materials and methods: Our experimental study focused on 140 patients with malignant EC, comprising 70 paraffin-embedded tumor tissues (FFPE) blocks and 70 FFPE blocks with marginal tissue samples. The relative gene expression levels of lncRNA-HOTAIR and lncRNA-MALAT1 were measured using Real-Time PCR. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and 2-△△CT tests.

Results: Our analysis revealed a significant increase in tumor expression compared to marginal tissues (P < 0.05). Besides, our research revealed a significant correlation between lncRNA-HOTAIR expression and hot drinks (P = 0.019), metastasis (P = 0.001), and the 5-year survival rate (P = 0.001). We found a significant correlation between lncRNA-MALAT1 expression and alcohol abuse (P = 0.039), hot drinks (P = 0.001), and metastasis (P = 0.039).

Conclusion: The findings indicate a potential carcinogenic effect of lncRNA-HOTAIR and lncRNA-MALAT1 gene expression alterations in EC patients. Also, studying the lncRNA genes can help us identify biomarkers, emphasizing the significance of early diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: HOTAIR; MALAT1; Esophageal cancer; LncRNA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The work was approved by the Ahar Branch Islamic Azad University (MSc.ID: 950187436), and informed written consent was filled out by all participants. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The fold change of LncRNA-HOTAIR gene in cancerous versus non-cancerous tissues (P < 0.05)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The fold change of LncRNA-MALAT1 gene in cancerous versus non-cancerous tissues (P < 0.001)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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