hsa_circRNA_012515 Is Highly Expressed in NSCLC Patients and Affects Its Prognosis

Background: NSCLC is one of the most common and most lethal malignancies throughout the world, and there is still a lack of sensitive diagnostic biomarkers. Identifying novel NSCLC biomarkers can help with the diagnosis and clinical decision-making. Methods: Identifying the differentially expressed circRNAs in three cases of NSCLC tissues by high-throughput circRNA microarray sequencing. qRT-PCR was employed to detect the expression levels of hsa_circRNA_012515 in 80 cases of NSCLC tissues (tumor resection patients) and 60 cases of peripheral blood samples (chemotherapy patients), NSCLC cells and gefitinibresistant NSCLC cell lines. Then combining with clinical data, we discussed whether it was feasible to use hsa_circRNA_012515 as the diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC. Results: In the cancerous tissues from NSCLC patients, NSCLC cells and gefitinib-resistant cell lines, the average expressions of hsa_circRNA_012515 increased significantly (P<0.01). Patients of stage III-IV, with lymph node metastases, had an overexpression of hsa circRNA 012515. High expression of hsa circRNA 012515 was associated with lower OS and shorter PFS, and it is closely related to the prognosis of the patients. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that hsa_circRNA_012515 interacted with 5 miRNAs. This finding may shed new light on the subsequent studies on the working mechanism and functions. Conclusion: Our study showed that hsa_circRNA_012515 may be a novel biomarker candidate for NSCLC. However, further studies are needed to ascertain the working mechanism of hsa_circRNA_012515 in the occurrence and development of NSCLC.