Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the primary malignant tumor of the oral cavity, larynx, nasopharynx, esophagus and tongue. Although several novel therapeutic methods for HNSCC have been developed, the final therapeutic effect on the patient is still not satisfactory. Thus, it is imperative that scientists identify novel distinguishable markers with specific molecular characteristics that can be used in therapeutic and prognostic evaluation. Previous reports have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression in many cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Translational studies of lncRNAs in HNSCC are urgently required before their application as a treatment can be realized. We aimed to address the most relevant findings on lncRNAs as biomarkers or treatment targets in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and to summarize their discovered pathways and mechanisms of action to reveal the possible future applications of these novel biomarkers in clinical translational research.

头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）是口腔，喉，鼻咽，食道和舌头的主要恶性肿瘤。尽管已经开发了几种用于HNSCC的新颖治疗方法，但是对患者的最终治疗效果仍然不令人满意。因此，当务之急是，科学家必须鉴定出具有特定分子特征的新颖可区分标记，这些标记可用于治疗和预后评估。先前的报道显示，长非编码RNA（lncRNA）是许多癌症（包括头颈部鳞状细胞癌）中重要的基因表达调节剂。在HNSCC中对lncRNA的翻译研究迫切需要，然后才能实现其应用。