Abstract
BACKGROUND: Endogenous circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in the progression of cancer. This study aims to identify and evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the newly found circALG8 and circCAMTA1 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Differentially expressed circRNAs were identified through plasma circRNA sequencing, followed by validation in NSCLC tissues and plasma samples using RT-qPCR. The stability of circALG8 and circCAMTA1 was determined by RNase R and actinomycin D assays. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of these circRNAs in comparison to traditional tumor biomarkers. RESULTS: Both circALG8 and circCAMTA1 are significantly downregulated in tumor tissues and plasma from NSCLC patients, correlating closely with TNM staging. The two circRNAs are structurally stable circular RNA molecules, demonstrating considerable stability in plasma of NSCLC patients. The combined plasma circALG8 and circCAMTA1 hold the potential to serve as a diagnostic panel for early-stage NSCLC (AUC: 0.8987, p < 0.0001). Importantly, the combination of the plasma circRNA panel enhances the diagnostic efficacy of traditional tumor biomarkers (AUC: 0.9236, p < 0.0001) in early diagnosis of NSCLC. CONCLUSION: Plasma-derived circALG8 and circCAMTA1 May function as a diagnostic panel, thereby improving the diagnostic accuracy for early-stage NSCLC.