Peripheral Blood-Derived CircVPS35L as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are dysregulated in cancers and are stably expressed in body fluids such as blood. We therefore identified and evaluated the clinical value of a newly found circRNA VPS35L (circVPS35L) as a biomarker for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to determine the expression levels of circVPS35L in tissues, whole blood, and cell lines. The actinomycin D assay and RNase R treatment were utilized to determine the stability of circVPS35L. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to predict the diagnostic value of blood-derived circVPS35L in NSCLC. <b><i>Results:</i></b> CircVPS35L was found to be downregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Interestingly, circVPS35L expression was significantly correlated with tumor size (<i>p</i> = 0.0269), histology type (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001), and TNM stage (<i>p</i> = 0.0437). Importantly, circVPS35L was poorly expressed in peripheral blood of NSCLC patients when compared with healthy controls and patients with benign lung disease. ROC analysis revealed a higher diagnostic value of circVPS35L than the three conventional tumor markers (CYFR21-1, NSE, and CEA) in patients with NSCLC. Moreover, circVPS35L was highly stable in peripheral blood when exposed to undesirable conditions. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> These findings demonstrate that circVPS35L has great potential as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLC and can be used to distinguish NSCLC from benign lung disease.