Evolutionary insights on the potential oncogenic impact of long non-coding RNA NNT-AS1 in different types of carcinomas; integrating pathway(s) and clinical outcomes association

Abstract Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are becoming more prevalent in the cancer field arena, with functional roles in both oncogenic and oncosuppressive pathways. Despite their widespread aberrant expression in a range of human malignancies, the biological activities of the ncRNAs majority are unknown. All showed the involvement of the lncRNA nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase antisense RNA 1 (NNT-AS1). Since NNT-AS1 influences cellular proliferation, invasion, migration, apoptosis, and metastasis, this lncRNA appears to be linked to deregulating the normal cellular processes driving malignancy. This was observed in many cancer types such as breast cancer (BC), gastric cancer (GC), colorectal cancer (CRC), epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Conclusions The current narrative non-systematic review will discuss “the significance of lncRNAs in cancer”, as well as “lncRNAs future potential application(s) as diagnostic or predictive biomarkers”, therefore, comprising an opportunity as treatment target(s). The review will have a special emphasis on lncRNA NNT-AS1.