The Oncogenic and Tumor-Suppressive Roles of SNHG18: A Double-Edged Long Noncoding RNA in Cancer.

Numerous recent studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in the development of diverse cancers. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 18 (SNHG18) is a cancer-related lncRNA in the SNHG family, whose expression is dysregulated in various tumors and acts as either an oncogenic or tumor-suppressive factor. Several studies have demonstrated that SNHG18 exhibits dual effects in various cancers. The role of this molecule is context-dependent, acting as a tumor suppressor in certain cancers while exhibiting oncogenic properties in others. The expression of SNHG18 is cancer-type specific: it is upregulated in glioma, multiple myeloma, and lung cancer, but downregulated in bladder and hepatocellular cancer. Clinical studies have also found a correlation between SNHG18 expression and prognosis in different cancers. We present an overview of studies on SNHG18, emphasizing its biological functions and its potential as a promising biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of diverse cancer types.