Plasma circular RNA hsa_circ_0001821 acts as a novel diagnostic biomarker for malignant tumors

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) can function as key regulators of oncogenic processes. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of hsa_circ_0001821 in plasma of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and other malignant tumors and analyze its correlations with clinical features and diagnostic values. METHODS: In total, 467 plasma samples, including samples from 80 healthy controls, were collected between 2015 and 2019 from patients at the Affiliated People's Hospital of Ningbo University. Plasma levels of hsa_circ_0001821 were analyzed by qRT‐PCR. The diagnostic value was performed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: Plasma hsa_circ_0001821 was increased in CRC patients, and high hsa_circ_0001821 expression predicted advanced stage and unfavorable in overall survival. In addition, this study showed the upregulation of hsa_circ_0001821 in plasma of lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ROC curve showed that the region under the loop for the diagnosis of CRC, HCC, and lung cancer was 0.815, 0.692, and 0.792. CONCLUSION: Plasma hsa_circ_0001821 possibly is a novel biological marker for malignant tumors.