The Emerging Roles of Circular RNAs in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant diseases and the forth common cause for death in the world. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a group of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which have a covalent closed loop without 5’ and 3’ ends. Studies indicated that many circRNAs are differently expressed in CRC cells and tissues. Their different expression levels are significantly correlated with clinicopathological features and overall survival time of CRC patients. Additionally, they regulate CRC cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration mainly by acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). In this review, we reviewed CRC-associated circRNAs, described their functions and mechanisms, discussed their potential as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of CRC.