Progress in the study of long noncoding RNA in tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common and highly malignant oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with lymph node metastasis or distant organ metastasis and, thus, low overall survival rates. Studies on the molecular mechanism of the biologic characteristics of TSCC and exploration of targeted therapies have become the frontiers in the research of this disease. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), a type of noncoding RNA, plays a key role in the occurrence and development of tumors. In recent years, more and more studies on lncRNA have been focusing on tongue cancer. lncRNA affects the proliferation, invasion, and migration of TSCC cells through a variety of methods and molecular mechanisms. With reference to recent reports, this article provides an overview of the molecular mechanisms of various lncRNAs and their functions in TSCC.