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Recent advances in the role of circRNA in cisplatin resistance in tumors

Cancer Gene Therapy volume 32, pages 497–506 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Cancer remains a major threat to human health, with chemotherapy serving as one of the main treatment strategies to alleviate patient suffering. However, prolonged chemotherapy often leads to the development of drug resistance, complicating treatment outcomes. Cisplatin, a commonly utilized chemotherapeutic agent, demonstrates efficacy against a range of cancers but frequently encounters resistance, posing a significant challenge in tumor management and prognosis. Drug resistance not only facilitates tumor progression but also reduces survival rates, highlighting the urgent need for innovative strategies to overcome this issue. In recent years, non-coding RNAs, particularly circular RNAs (circRNAs), have gained attention in cancer therapy due to their stability and specificity. Moreover, an increasing number of studies have reported that circRNAs are involved in cisplatin resistance across various types of cancer. This paper primarily reviews the mechanisms and roles of circRNA in mediating cisplatin resistance over the past 3 years. These findings highlight circRNAs as promising therapeutic targets for overcoming cancer drug resistance.

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Fig. 1: Structure and function of circRNAs.
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  1. These authors contributed equally: Jiawen Zhang, Qiwen Yu.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China

    Jiawen Zhang, Qiwen Yu & Xiaochun Sun

  2. Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China

    Weijin Zhu

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Jiawen Zhang: proposed and designed the article, writing—original draft preparation. Qiwen Yu: prepared the tables and figures, writing—initial revision. Weijin Zhu: contributed to the critical revision of the manuscript. Xiaochun Wu: edited, supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Zhang, J., Yu, Q., Zhu, W. et al. Recent advances in the role of circRNA in cisplatin resistance in tumors. Cancer Gene Ther 32, 497–506 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41417-025-00899-4

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