The Potent Regulatory Role of Circular RNAs in Breast Cancer Development, Diagnosis and Treatment: An Update

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most frequent malignant diseases among women worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) as a novel class of noncoding RNA (ncRNA), display unique features due to their specific circular configuration. One of the important roles of CircRNAs is the regulation of gene expression via different mechanisms, including sponging microRNAs and proteins. Moreover, evidence indicates that circRNAs act as key regulators in the initiation and progression of BC. Currently, many circRNAs have been reported to be associated with different biological processes of BC, such as cell division, migration, invasion, and programmed cell death. The aim of this review was to provide a concise overview of the biogenesis and roles of circRNAs and track the related knowledge in BC development, diagnoses and treatment.