Head and neck cancers (HNCs) include a series of malignant tumors arising in 
epithelial tissues, typically oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, nasopharynx cancer 
and thyroid cancer. HNCs are important contributors to cancer incidence and 
mortality, leading to approximately 225,100 new patients and 77,500 deaths in 
China every year. Determination of the mechanisms of HNC carcinogenesis and 
progression is an urgent priority in HNC treatment. Long noncoding RNAs 
(lncRNAs) are noncoding RNAs longer than 200 bps. lncRNAs have been reported to 
participate in a broad scope of biological processes, and lncRNA dysregulation 
leads to diverse human diseases, including cancer. In this review, we focus on 
lncRNAs that are dysregulated in HNCs, summarize the latest findings regarding 
the function and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in HNC carcinogenesis and 
progression, and discuss the clinical application of lncRNAs in HNC diagnosis, 
prognosis and therapy.