Comparative roles between Metastasis Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 (MALAT1) in lung and colorectal cancer: insights into tumorigenesis and metastasis.

Long non-coding RNA Metastasis Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 (MALAT1) has emerged as a key regulator in lung and colorectal cancers, two leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. This review adopts a comparative lens to examine MALAT1’s shared and cancer-specific molecular roles and prognostic implications in lung and colorectal malignancies. MALAT1 is consistently overexpressed in both lung and colorectal cancers, correlating with advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and poor overall survival (OS). MALAT1 is able to promote cancer progression through the PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin pathways and can act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to regulate gene expression by sponging microRNA. It facilitates cell proliferation, migration, invasion, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and angiogenesis. This review also explores the similarities and differences in MALAT1 function across lung and colorectal cancers, underscoring its clinical relevance as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. We also summarize current therapeutic approaches involving MALAT1, to include RNA interference and antisense oligonucleotides, and discuss MALAT1’s role in chemoresistance. Despite these advances, understanding of the precise molecular interactions and downstream networks of MALAT1 remains incomplete. Future studies utilising multi-omics approaches to delineate MALAT1-regulated gene networks would be useful. This review provides a focused perspective on MALAT1’s role in tumor biology and its translational potential in lung and colorectal cancer.