Molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in regulating cancer cell radiosensitivity

Radiotherapy is one of the main modalities of cancer treatment. However, tumor recurrence following radiotherapy occurs in many cancer patients. A key to solving this problem is the optimization of radiosensitivity. In recent years, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which affect the occurrence and development of tumors through a variety of mechanisms, have become a popular research topic. LncRNAs have been found to influence radiosensitivity by regulating various mechanisms, including DNA damage repair, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, cancer stem cells regulation, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and autophagy. LncRNAs are expected to become a potential therapeutic target for radiotherapy in the future. This article reviews recent advances in the role and mechanism of lncRNAs in tumor radiosensitivity.