Title:CircRNAs: A Novel Strategy in Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid
Cancer
Volume: 23
Issue: 8
Author(s): Rana Shafabakhsh, Zatollah Asemi*, Mohammad Ali Mansournia, Bahman Yousefi and Jamal Hallajzadeh*
Affiliation:
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan
University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, I.R. Iran;
- Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Research Center for
Evidence-Based Health Management, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran
Keywords:
CircRNAs, apoptosis, microRNA, signaling pathway, thyroid cancer, neuroendocrine cell.
Abstract: Thyroid cancer is one of the most frequent cancers globally, and its incidence
has risen recently. The clinical behavior of thyroid cancer includes a wide range, from
benign to invasive malignant tumors. Thus, precious diagnostic activities before
therapeutic work are required. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) along with microRNAs
(miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known as non-coding RNAs
(ncRNAs). Large amounts of investigations have indicated that circRNAs can participate
in multiple cellular processes, especially in tumorigenesis. Furthermore, circRNAs are
stable in blood or plasma, as well as they are specific in different tissues. Therefore,
they could serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for cancer cells. Limited studies
investigated the role of circRNAs in some processes involved in thyroid cancer. In this
review, we summarized the current evidence on the potential clinical involvement of
circRNAs in thyroid cancer.