Genome-wide analysis of long noncoding RNA expression profile in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proved to play important roles in cancer biology. To understand their expression profile and potential functions in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), we investigated the lncRNA and mRNA expression in PTC and paired adjacent noncancerous thyroid tissues using microarray analysis. Five PTC specimens and their paired adjacent noncancerous thyroid tissue samples were obtained from the Department of Thyroid Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University. All tissue samples were snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately after surgical resection, and were transferred to the freezer at −80℃ before use. The diagnosis of PTC was confirmed pathologically. Five pairs of samples were used for microarray study. None of the patients had received preoperative radiotherapy, chemotherapy or any other cancer treatment.