Silencing of CASC8 inhibits non-small cell lung cancer cells function and promotes sensitivity to osimertinib via FOXM1.

Abstract

In a meta-analysis, the long noncoding RNA cancer susceptibility candidate 8 (CASC8) was found to be a cancer susceptibility gene closely related to lung cancer, but its functions in lung cancer are unknown. In the Cancer Genome Atlas database, the expression of CASC8 was significantly higher in non-small cell lung cancer than in adjacent normal tissues, and high expression of CASC8 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Silencing CASC8 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Silencing CASC8 also promoted sensitivity to osimertinib through Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1). Therefore, this pathway can be exploited in patients with lung cancer resistant to targeted therapies. Our study revealed for the first time that silencing CASC8 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer cells and promoted their sensitivity to osimertinib, suggesting that CASC8 is closely related to the occurrence and development of non-small cell lung cancer. This may provide insight into mechanisms of treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.