肝细胞癌和胆管癌是最常见的原发性肝肿瘤,近几十年来,其发病率和相关死亡率有所增加。当治愈性治疗不再是一种选择时,肝癌通常被诊断为晚期。表征肝癌发生的新分子决定因素对于创新治疗和临床相关生物标志物的开发至关重要。最近,环状RNA(circularRNAs,circRNAs)作为参与癌症发病和进展的有希望的调控分子出现。机械上,circRNAs主要以其海绵和调节microRNAs和RNA结合蛋白活性的能力而闻名。尽管其他功能正在出现(例如转录和转录后调节,蛋白质支架)。在肝癌中,circRNAs已被证明可以调节肿瘤细胞的增殖,迁移,侵袭和细胞死亡抗性。它们在调节血管生成中的作用,基因组不稳定,免疫监视和代谢转换正在出现。重要的是,在体液中检测到circRNAs。由于它们的圆形结构,circRNAs通常比mRNAs或miRNAs更稳定,因此可以作为有前途的生物标志物-通过微创方法以高特异性和灵敏度定量。这篇综述集中在circRNAs在肝癌中的作用和临床相关性。包括开发创新的生物标志物和治疗策略。
Hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma are the most common primary liver tumours, whose incidence and associated mortality have increased over recent decades. Liver cancer is often diagnosed late when curative treatments are no longer an option. Characterising new molecular determinants of liver carcinogenesis is crucial for the development of innovative treatments and clinically relevant biomarkers. Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) emerged as promising regulatory molecules involved in cancer onset and progression. Mechanistically, circRNAs are mainly known for their ability to sponge and regulate the activity of microRNAs and RNA-binding proteins, although other functions are emerging (e.g. transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, protein scaffolding). In liver cancer, circRNAs have been shown to regulate tumour cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell death resistance. Their roles in regulating angiogenesis, genome instability, immune surveillance and metabolic switching are emerging. Importantly, circRNAs are detected in body fluids. Due to their circular structure, circRNAs are often more stable than mRNAs or miRNAs and could therefore serve as promising biomarkers - quantifiable with high specificity and sensitivity through minimally invasive methods. This review focuses on the role and the clinical relevance of circRNAs in liver cancer, including the development of innovative biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.