Plasma circRNAs as Biomarkers in Cancer

Qian Zhou,1,* Lin-Ling Ju,2,* Xiang Ji,1 Ya-Li Cao,2 Jian-Guo Shao,2 Lin Chen2 1Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Nantong Institute of Liver Disease, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lin Chen; Jian-Guo ShaoNantong Institute of Liver Disease, Nantong Third People’s Hospital, Nantong University, 60 Middle Qingnian Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226006, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail xiaobei227@sina.com; shaojianguo4144@163.comAbstract: The incidence and mortality of cancer are increasing each year. At present, the sensitivity and specificity of the blood biomarkers that were used in clinical practice are low, which make the detection rate of cancer decrease. With advances in bioinformatics and technology, some non-coding RNA as biomarkers can be easily detected through some traditional and new technologies. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNAs, that is, they do not encode proteins, and have important regulatory functions. CircRNAs can remain stable in bodily fluids, such as in saliva, blood, urine, and especially plasma. The difference in the expression of plasma circRNAs between cancer patients and normal people may suggest that plasma circRNAs may play an important role in the occurrence and development of cancer. In this review, we summarized the clinical effect of plasma circRNAs in several high-incidence cancers. CircRNAs may be effective biomarkers for tumour diagnosis, treatment selection and prognosis evaluation.Keywords: circular RNA, plasma, cancer, biomarkers