LINC00332 as a potential diagnostic marker for the low-grade tumors in renal cell carcinoma patients

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) ranks as a frequent malignancy among urological cancers worldwide and has a positive prognosis during the initial tumor phases. Since, metastatic RCC patients have poor prognosis, it is essential to examine the molecular biology of RCC progression in order to implement effective diagnostic and therapeutic markers for these patients. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have essential roles in modulating molecular processes during RCC progression. Therefore, we evaluated the probable correlations between LINC00332 expression levels and clinicopathological features of RCC patients to suggest that as a tumor marker. Fifty newly obtained samples of RCC tumor tissues and their corresponding normal margins were gathered for examining the expression levels of LINC00332 and any potential correlations with the clinicopathological characteristics of RCC patients. Real-time PCR using the SYBR green method was applied to assess the levels of LINC00332 expressions in RCC patients. There were significant reduced levels of LINC00332 expressions in high-grade compared with low-grade tumors among male RCC patients (p = 0.048). There was also significant reduced LINC00332 expression in high-grade compared with low-grade tumors among RCC patients younger than 60 years old (p = 0.007). LINC00332 expression levels were significantly lower in high-grade tumors compared to low-grade tumors in male RCC patients and in patients under 60 years old. Therefore, LINC00332 can be proposed as a diagnostic marker for the low-grade tumors before the age of 60 after additional tests in serum samples of RCC patients.