The human genome contains thousands of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), which are thought to lack open reading frames (ORFs) and cannot be translated. Some ncRNAs reportedly have important functions, including epigenetic regulation, chromatin remolding, protein modification, and RNA degradation, but the functions of most ncRNAs remain elusive. Through the application and development of ribosome profiling and sequencing technologies, an increasing number of studies have discovered the translation of ncRNAs. Although ncRNAs were initially defined as noncoding RNAs, a number of ncRNAs actually contain ORFs that are translated into peptides. Here, we summarize the available methods, tools, and databases for identifying and validating ncRNA-encoded peptides/proteins, and the recent findings regarding ncRNA-encoded small peptides/proteins in cancer are compiled and synthesized. Importantly, the role of ncRNA-encoding peptides/proteins has application prospects in cancer research, but some potential challenges remain unresolved. The aim of this review is to provide a theoretical basis that might promote the discovery of more peptides/proteins encoded by ncRNAs and aid the further development of novel diagnostic and prognostic cancer markers and therapeutic targets.

人类基因组包含数千个非编码RNA（ncRNA），它们被认为缺乏开放阅读框（ORF），并且无法翻译。据报道，某些ncRNA具有重要的功能，包括表观遗传调控，染色质重塑，蛋白质修饰和RNA降解，但是大多数ncRNA的功能仍然难以捉摸。通过核糖体谱分析和测序技术的应用和发展，越来越多的研究发现了ncRNA的翻译。尽管ncRNA最初被定义为非编码RNA，但是许多ncRNA实际上包含被翻译为肽的ORF。在这里，我们总结了用于识别和验证ncRNA编码的肽/蛋白质的可用方法，工具和数据库，并汇总并合成了有关癌症中ncRNA编码的小肽/蛋白质的最新发现。重要的是，编码ncRNA的肽/蛋白质的作用在癌症研究中具有应用前景，但仍未解决一些潜在的挑战。这篇综述的目的是提供一个理论基础，该理论基础可能会促进发现更多由ncRNA编码的肽/蛋白质，并有助于进一步开发新型的诊断和预后癌症标志物以及治疗靶标。