LncRNA and mRNA expression patterns in bladder cancer patients with lymph nodes metastasis.

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most common cancers in urinary system worldwide. And lymphatic metastasis is one of the most common route and its status associates with prognosis for BCa patients. However, the precise molecular mechanisms of BCa metastasis and progression remain poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that long non-coding (lncRNA) plays critical roles in a myriad of biological processes and human diseases. The roles of lncRNA in BCa lymph nodes metastasis remain unknown. In the current study, we revealed thousands of differentially expressed lncRNAs in BCa primary tumor tissues vs. metastatic lymph nodes. We may provide novel insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the disease and potential novel diagnostic or therapeutic targets for BCa. Microarray expression profiling of mRNAs and lncRNAs were conducted using RNA extracted from 3 bladder cancer metastatic lymph node samples and 3 primary tumor samples.