Increased long non-coding RNA ARAP1-AS1 expression and its prognostic significance in human gastric cancer: a preliminary study

OBJECTIVE: Multiple studies have unveiled that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) contribute to oncogenesis. LncRNA ARAP1 antisense RNA 1 (ARAP1-AS1) has been demonstrated to serve as an oncogene in bladder tumor and colorectal cancer. This study attempted to explore the correlation of ARAP1-AS1 expressions with clinical progress and prognosis in gastric cancer (GC) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: RT-PCR was carried out to examine the levels of ARAP1-AS1 in 157 GC patients. The associations between ARAP1-AS1 expression and clinicopathologic features in GC patients were analyzed using the Chi-square test. The prognostic value of abnormally expressed ARAP1-AS1 in GC patients was further analyzed via Kaplan-Meier assays and multivariate survival assays. RESULTS: The levels of ARAP1-AS1 were dramatically increased in GC samples compared with paired adjacent non-tumor specimens (p=0.01). The upregulation of ARAP1-AS1 was distinctly associated with TNM stage (p=0.010) and lymphatic metastasis (p=0.007). Further survival study revealed that patients with higher levels of ARAP1-AS1 had shorter overall survival (p=0.0020) and disease-free survival than those with lower levels of ARAP1-AS1. Finally, multivariate survival assay identified ARAP1-AS1 upregulation as an independent unfavorable prognostic factor in GC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results identified a novel GC-related factor, ARAP1-AS1 which may be a potential prognostic biomarker for GC patients.