Non-coding RNA variations in oral cancers: A comprehensive review.

For a long time, scientists believed that only changes or mutations in protein-coding genes were responsible for the onset and development of cancer. However, the discovery of non-coding RNAs has revolutionized our understanding of tumor biology. Now, we are aware that non-coding RNA molecules have a higher influence on cancer biology than previously thought. The discovery of non-coding RNAs also presented several challenges because they are relatively unstable under laboratory conditions and can lead to false-positive and false-negative results in expression analysis. Therefore, variation analysis may provide more accurate results for understanding the role and impact of these molecules in cancer biology. Accordingly, in the present comprehensive review, we aimed to review and discuss current knowledge on non-coding RNA alterations linked to the development and progression of oral malignancies. Collectively, variations of non-coding RNA molecules seem to have great impact in the development and progression of oral cancers.