Lung cancer is one of the main causes of cancer-related death in the world, especially due to its frequency and ineffective therapeutically approaches in the late stages of the disease. Despite the recent advent of promising new targeted therapies, lung cancer diagnostic strategies still have difficulty in identifying the disease at an early stage. Therefore, the characterizations of more sensible and specific cancer biomarkers have become an important goal for clinicians. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a type of RNA with covalently closed continuous loop structures that display high structural resistance and tissue specificity pointed toward a potential biomarker role. Current investigations have identified that circRNAs have a prominent function in the regulation of oncogenic pathways, by regulating gene expression both at transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. The aim of this review is to provide novel information regarding the implications of circRNAs in lung cancer, with an emphasis on the role in disease development and progression. Initially, we explored the potential utility of circRNAs as biomarkers, focusing on function, mechanisms, and correlation with disease progression in lung cancer. Further, we will describe the interaction between circRNAs and other non-coding species of RNA (particularly microRNA) and their biological significance in lung cancer. Describing the nature of these interactions and their therapeutic potential will provide additional insight regarding the altered molecular landscape of lung cancer and consolidate the potential clinical value of these circular transcripts. This article is categorized under: RNA Structure and Dynamics > Influence of RNA Structure in Biological Systems RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development.

5th Surgical Department Municipal Hospital Cluj Napoca Romania

Applied Biotechnology Research Center Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran

Centiv DE Bremen Germany

Central European Institute of Technology Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute Brno Czech Republic

Department of Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology The Oncology Institute Prof Dr Ion Chiricuta Cluj Napoca Romania

Department of Surgery Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj Napoca Romania

Department of Surgery The Oncology Institute Prof Dr Ion Chiricuta Cluj Napoca Romania

Department of Surgical Oncology and Gynecological Oncology University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu Cluj Napoca Romania

Leon Daniello Pneumology Clinic Cluj Napoca Romania

MEDFUTURE Research Center for Advanced Medicine University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu Cluj Napoca Romania

Research Center for Functional Genomics Biomedicine and Translational Medicine Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj Napoca Romania

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