Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive system. According to the latest statistics of the World Health Organization, both the incidence and mortality rate of gastric cancer ranked seventh among all malignancies. 1 In 2020, the United States expects 27,600 new cases of gastric cancer and 11,010 deaths from gastric cancer. 1 The high incidence and mortality rate of gastric cancer make it a public health concern, especially

Background: The present study was targeted at investigating the effects of hsa_circRNA_0008092 (circ_0008092) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis, and its related mechanism. Methods: The gene expression profiles of GSE166678 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and differentially expressed circRNAs in human HCC were screened out. Besides, circ_0008092, microRNA-502-5p (miR-502-5p) and cyclin D1 (CCND1) expressions in HCC tissues and cell lines were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell countering kit-8 (CCK-8), Transwell and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of HCC cells. Bioinformatics was utilized to predict the targeted relationships between miR-502-5p and circ_0008092, as well as miR-502-5p and CCND1 mRNA 3'-untranslated region (3’UTR). Western blot assay was applied to detect CCND1 protein expression in HCC cells. Results: Circ_0008092 was highly expressed in HCC tissues and cells, which was associated with a shorter survival time in patients with HCC. Circ_0008092 overexpression promoted proliferation, migration and invasion, and inhibited apoptosis of HCC cells; circ_0008092 knockdown worked oppositely. Circ_0008092 directly targeted miR-502-5p and negatively modulated miR-502-5p expression. CCND1 was a target gene of miR-502-5p, and was positively and indirectly modulated by circ_0008092. Conclusions: Our data suggest that circ_0008092 promotes HCC progression by regulating the miR-502-5p/CCND1 axis.