Unravelling the role of long non-coding RNAs in prostate carcinoma

Prostate cancer (PCa) is considered to be a form of malignancy diagnosed frequently and ranks sixth in instigating death due to cancer in the male population on a global level. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is termed as a type of RNA possessing a length >200 nucleotides. Regardless of the fact that lncRNAs do not code for proteins still, they share various similarities with genes that are protein-coding in nature. Lately, lncRNAs have attained popularity as a pivotal therapeutic target for treating cancer, particularly PCa, primarily as a result of their aberrant expression. The growing demand for finding a permanent cure for PCa has resulted in their overdiagnosis, thereby increasing the chances of utilising lncRNAs as promising diagnostic as well as prognostic markers for effective disease management. The purpose of this review is to revisit and address the studies on the functional role of lncRNAs in PCa management over the past two decades, particularly emphasising recent discoveries with regard to the association of different lncRNAs with PCa, their mechanism of action, assessment of their utility as promising biomarkers and therapeutic candidates, their existing potential applications and prediction of future trends.