This suggests that lncRNAs may play vital roles in carcinogenesis and may be useful for discovery of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in gastric cancer.30 For example, H19 is upregulated in gastric cancer and its overexpression is correlated with gastric cancer patient's poor prognosis, and enhances carcinogenesis and metastasis.31 In this study, our results revealed that high levels of HOTAIR expression were associated with venous invasion, diffuse-type gastric cancer and poor DFS. Here, HOTAIR is linked to gastric cancer.