Regulation of apoptosis, autophagy and ferroptosis by non-coding RNAs in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (Review)

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a common type of cancer worldwide, is normally associated with a poor prognosis. It is difficult to treat successfully as it often metastasizes into brain or bone. Methods to facilitate the induction of effective programmed cell death (PCD) in NSCLC cells to reverse drug resistance, or to inhibit the invasion and migration of NSCLC cells, are currently under investigation. The present study summarized the regulatory functions of PCD, including apoptosis, autophagy and ferroptosis, in the context of NSCLC metastasis. It further summarized how regulatory agents, including long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs and microRNAs, regulate PCD during the metastasis of NSCLC and characterized new potential diagnostic biomarkers of NSCLC metastasis.