Unveiling the molecular landscape: Long non-coding RNAs in neuroblastoma (Review)

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a prevalent malignant tumor in pediatric populations, accounting for 10-15% of childhood cancer-related deaths. Standard treatments include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy; however, in recent years, immunotherapy and targeted therapies have also demonstrated encouraging outcomes, particularly for high-risk NB cases. Despite these advances, more than one-third of patients either fail to respond to immunotherapy or eventually develop therapeutic resistance, highlighting the need to further explore the molecular mechanisms driving NB and to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Notably, dysregulated long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression is closely associated with NB prognosis, early diagnosis and therapeutic responsiveness. The present review systematically summarizes the molecular mechanisms by which lncRNAs contribute to NB development and progression, and provides an updated overview of their emerging clinical applications as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets. The current study may offer valuable insights into the future development of lncRNA-based precision diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for NB.