HOXA-AS2 and gastric cancer: HOXA cluster antisense RNA 2 (HOXA-AS2) is a 1048-bp lncRNA that serves as an apoptosis repressor in all-trans retinoic acid-treated NB4 promyelocytic leukemia cells.25 In previous studies, we also demonstrated that HOXA-AS2 promotes gastric cancer cells proliferation by epigenetically silencing p21, PLK3 and DDIT3 expression.26 However, little is known concerning its potential role in CRC development and progression.