LncRNA CCHE1 Participates in the Postoperative Distant Recurrence of Urothelial Bladder Cancer Possibly by Regulating ROCK1 Expression

LncRNA CCHE1 has been functionally characterized as a critical player in multiple cancers. However, its role in urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) is unclear. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate its role in UBC. In our study, we observed that UBC patients who developed distant recurrence (DR) within 5 years after surgical resection showed significantly higher plasma CCHE1 levels than patients with local recurrence (LR) or patients with non-recurrence (NR) on the day of discharge. During the follow-up, plasma CCHE1 levels were significantly increased in UBC patients with DR but slightly decreased in patients with LR and NR. CCHE1 overexpression on the day of discharge distinguished DR patients from LR and NR patients and healthy controls. Moreover, significant and positive correlations between CCHE1 and ROCK1 on the day of discharge and during the follow-up were found across patients with DR. CCHE1 overexpression increased ROCK1 level in UBC cell lines, while ROCK1 overexpression failed to significantly affect CCHE1 expression. Moreover, CCHE1 and ROCK1 overexpression increased UBC cell migration and invasion, and ROCK1 silencing reduced the enhancing effects of CCHE1 overexpression on UBC cell migration and invasion. Therefore, CCHE1 might participate in the postoperative distant recurrence of UBC, possibly by regulating ROCK1 expression.