Abstract
It is urgent to explore effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Now, both lncRNAs and lipid metabolism are involved in tumor pathogenesis. Long noncoding RNA, RP11-466I1.1, could likely be linked to lipid metabolism according to our bioinformatics analysis, yet studies about RP11-466I1.1 expression in tumors and its potential functions are still lacking. We aimed to explore the expression and correlations with clinical features of a long noncoding RNA, RP11-466I1.1, and further analyze its diagnostic and prognostic values in hepatocellular carcinoma. Expression levels of RP11-466I1.1 were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in tissue and serum level, and expression differences were analyzed by independent 2-tailed t tests. Clinical features were obtained, and their correlations with RP11-466I1.1 were analyzed by chi-squared test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to assess the diagnostic value. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to evaluate the prognostic value of RP11-466I1.1. Results showed that RP11-466I1.1 was upregulated in HCC tissues (P < .01) and serum (P < .05). Significant upregulation of RP11-466I1.1 in HCC tissues with poor histological grade (P < .01) and incomplete tumor capsule (P < .01) was found compared to that with better histological grade and complete tumor capsule, respectively. The diagnostic value of RP11-466I1.1 was not supported by ROC curve analysis (AUROC=0.665, P = .079). Yet, the significant correlation of RP11-466I1.1 with poor prognosis indicated its potential prognostic value in HCC. This study suggested that RP11-466I1.1 is distinctively expressed in HCC and may serve as a promising novel prognostic biomarker. The concrete mechanisms of RP11-466I1.1 playing roles in HCC pathogenesis need further study.