Upregulation of long non-coding RNA ENSG00000267838 is related to the high risk of progression and non-response to chemoradiotherapy treatment for cervical cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is a global public health concern, primarily caused by persistent infection with oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a plan to eliminate CC as a public health issue by the year 2100. However, the implementation of the HPV vaccine is impeded by vaccine restrictions and misinformation despite its demonstrated effectiveness. The CC treatment is influenced by the disease stage, with an unfavorable prognosis for those in advanced stages. This study aimed to investigate the potential of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in CC by identifying and characterizing related lncRNAs, elucidating their regulatory mechanisms and molecular interactions, and analyzing their expression patterns in patients with diverse responses to chemoradiotherapy. Non-stem cells from CC were isolated using flow cytometry sorting and used for total RNA extraction. The RNA was used to build libraries that were subsequently sequenced using the Illumina Nextseq 550.417 lncRNAs that showed differentially expressed between CC patients who responded or not to treatment. Further analysis demonstrated that these lncRNAs significantly interact with several molecules, which play crucial roles in CC progression and therapeutic resistance. Statistical analysis correlated the expression profile of these lncRNAs with treatment efficacy. Three lncRNAs, <i>ENSG00000267838</i>, <i>ENSG00000266340</i>, and <i>FRMD6-AS1</i>, were identified with positive expression related to non-response to chemoradiotherapy and worse progression-free survival in CC patients. Specifically, lncRNA <i>ENSG00000267838</i> has its up-regulation related to non-response and down-regulation to response to chemoradiotherapy treatment.