The Potential of circRNA as a Novel Diagnostic Biomarker in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among females worldwide. In spite of advances in detection and treatment, it is still one of the most dangerous gynecological malignancies in the world, especially in developing countries, and seriously threatens human health. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a special new type of endogenous noncoding RNA discovered recently. They form a covalently closed continuous loop and are specifically expressed in the eukaryotic transcriptome. With further understanding of circular RNA, a large number of studies have determined the key regulatory role of circRNA in a variety of diseases, especially cancer (including cervical cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer). In addition, it has also been found that the abnormal expression of circRNA is related to its pathological characteristics in cervical cancer tissue, which can be used as a potential indicator for early screening and diagnosis of cervical cancer, targeted therapy, and prognosis prediction. This article summarizes the recent research achievements of circRNAs in cervical cancer. We briefly described the abnormal expression of circRNA in cervical cancer and discussed the involvement of circRNA in the occurrence process of cervical cancer by regulating cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. We believe that circRNA has potential value as a biomarker in the diagnosis and prognosis of cervical cancer.