Despite great advances in research and treatment,
lung cancer is still one of the most leading causes of
cancer-related deaths worldwide. Evidence is mounting that dynamic communication network in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play an integral role in
tumor initiation and development. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which promote
tumor growth and
metastasis, are the most important stroma component in the tumor microenvironment. Consequently, in-depth identification of relevant molecular mechanisms and
biomarkers related to CAFs will increase understanding of
tumor development process, which is of great significance for precise treatment of
lung cancer. With the development of sequencing technologies such as microarray and next-generation sequencing, lncRNAs without
protein-coding ability have been found to act as communicators between
tumor cells and CAFs. LncRNAs participate in the activation of normal fibroblasts (NFs) to CAFs. Moreover, activated CAFs can influence the gene expression and secretion characteristics of cells through lncRNAs, enhancing the malignant biological process in
tumor cells. In addition,
lncRNA-loaded exosomes are considered to be another important form of crosstalk between
tumor cells and CAFs. In this review, we focus on the interaction between
tumor cells and CAFs mediated by lncRNAs in the
lung cancer microenvironment, and discuss the analysis of biological function and molecular mechanism. Furthermore, it contributes to paving a novel direction for the clinical treatment of
lung cancer.