Potential of Long Non-coding RNAs in the Diagnosis and Therapy of Melanoma Skin Cancer

TLDR: This chapter summarizes the recent advancement of lncRNAs concerning diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of melanoma.

Abstract: Skin carcinoma is categorized into melanoma and non-melanoma. Melanoma is among the highly aggressive and deadly forms of skin cancer. Melanoma is frequently associated with metastasis and therapeutic resistance. The combined immunotherapy and targeted therapies have emerged as attractive therapeutic options. However, the efficacy of these therapies is limited to advanced-stage melanoma and those who often acquire resistance. Over the years, the molecular bases of melanoma have been unraveled, which led to establishing specific and reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. A good strategy in finding novel cancer targets could include shifting from the protein-translating regions to the genome’s non-coding regions. The non-coding regions constitute approximately 98% of the genome. The microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are two major classes of non-coding RNAs. Apart from coding RNA’s, lncRNAs have also been attributed to exhibit proto-oncogenic and tumor suppressor roles in various cancers, including melanoma. This chapter summarizes the recent advancement of lncRNAs concerning diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of melanoma.