CircRNAs in cancer therapy tolerance

• Published in: Clinica chimica acta 2024-05, Vol.558, p.119684-119684, Article 119684
• Main Authors: He, Miao, Pan, Yunyan, You, Chongge, Gao, Hongwei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics; Cancer; circRNA; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm - genetics; Humans; Liquid biopsy; Neoplasms - diagnosis; Neoplasms - genetics; Neoplasms - therapy; RNA, Circular - blood; RNA, Circular - genetics; Treatment tolerance
• ISSN: 0009-8981; 1873-3492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2024.119684

•This review comprehensively compiles existing knowledge regarding the of circ-RNAs and emphasizing their stability, abundance, and cell-type-specific expression profiles that make them ideal candidates for non-invasive biomarkers.•It explores the roles of circ-RNAs in tumor treatment tolerance including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.•Our review underscores the clinical application prospect of serum circ-RNA as tumor therapy resistance fluid biopsy and elaborates the advantages and challenges of circ-RNA as tumor fluid biopsy. The rapidly expanding field of circular RNA (circ-RNA) research has opened new avenues in cancer diagnostics and treatment, highlighting the role of serum circRNAs as potential biomarkers for assessing tumor therapy resistance. This review comprehensively compiles existing knowledge regarding the biogenesis, function, and clinical relevance of circRNAs, emphasizing their stability, abundance, and cell type-specific expression profiles, which make them ideal candidates for noninvasive early biomarkers in cancer treatment. We explored the roles of circRNAs in oncogenesis and tumor progression and their complex interactions with patient responses to various cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Through the analysis of data from recent studies and clinical trials, we underscore the prognostic significance of serum circRNAs in predicting therapeutic outcomes, their involvement in resistance mechanisms, and their capacity to inform personalized treatment approaches. Additionally, this review addresses the obstacles inherent in circRNA research, including the need for standardized protocols for circRNA extraction and quantification and the elucidation of the clinical significance of circRNAs. Furthermore, our investigation extends to future prospects, including embedding circRNA profiling into regular clinical workflows and pioneering circRNA-based therapeutic approaches. We underscore the transformative potential of serum circRNAs in enhancing cancer diagnosis, improving the accuracy of therapy tolerance predictions, and ultimately fostering the advent of precision oncology.