环状 RNA (circRNA) 代表一类独特的共价闭合 RNA 物种，缺乏传统的 5' 至 3' 极性。 circRNA 主要源自蛋白质编码基因的前 mRNA 转录物，通过外显子-外显子或外显子-内含子连接的反向剪接事件产生。它们表现出组织和细胞特异性的表达模式，并在调节细胞周期动力学、增殖、凋亡和分化等基本细胞过程中发挥关键作用。 CircRNA 通过表观遗传、转录和转录后水平的多种机制调节基因表达，有些甚至可以翻译成功能蛋白。最近，circRNA 的异常表达已成为控制癌症特征的复杂调控网络中的一种重要分子畸变。 circRNA 的肿瘤特异性表达模式和显着的稳定性对癌症诊断、预后和治疗具有深远的影响。这篇综述全面探讨了 circRNA 在各种肿瘤类型中跨癌症标志的多方面作用，强调了它们在癌症诊断和治疗干预中日益增长的重要性。它还详细介绍了利用基于 circRNA 的疗法的策略，并讨论了使用 circRNA 进行癌症管理的挑战，强调需要进一步研究来克服这些障碍。© 2024 作者。

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a distinct class of covalently closed RNA species lacking conventional 5' to 3' polarity. Derived predominantly from pre-mRNA transcripts of protein-coding genes, circRNAs arise through back-splicing events of exon-exon or exon-intron junctions. They exhibit tissue- and cell-specific expression patterns and play crucial roles in regulating fundamental cellular processes such as cell cycle dynamics, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. CircRNAs modulate gene expression through a plethora of mechanisms at epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional levels, and some can even undergo translation into functional proteins. Recently, aberrant expression of circRNAs has emerged as a significant molecular aberration within the intricate regulatory networks governing hallmarks of cancer. The tumor-specific expression patterns and remarkable stability of circRNAs have profound implications for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. This review comprehensively explores the multifaceted roles of circRNAs across cancer hallmarks in various tumor types, underscoring their growing significance in cancer diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. It also details strategies for leveraging circRNA-based therapies and discusses the challenges in using circRNAs for cancer management, emphasizing the need for further research to overcome these obstacles.© 2024 The Authors.