MALAT1 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Of note, the Epi-differ 3 signature was positively associated with smoking history as well as the expression of MALAT1 (r = 0.46; P < 0.001), which has been reported to mediate lung carcinogenesis induced by cigarette smoke extract.24 This observation suggests the potential role of Epi-differ 3-related genes in smoking-mediated epithelial differentiation in NPC.