Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40817061›Full record

ReviewBMC medicine2025

CircRNAs: functions and emerging roles in cancer and immunotherapy.

Yan Wang, Yanru Cui, Xin Li, Su-Han Jin, Haitao Wang, Udo S Gaipl, Hu Ma, Shixiang Wang, Jian-Guo Zhou

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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  17. Terminally exhausted CD8Frontiers in immunology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yan Wang *Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, China.
Yanru Cui *Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Xin Li *Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, China.
Su-Han JinDepartment of Orthodontics, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.
Haitao WangCenter for Precision Medicine Research and Training, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
Udo S GaiplTranslational Radiobiology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Hu Ma *Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, China. mahuab@163.com.
Shixiang Wang *Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China. wangshx@csu.edu.cn.
Jian-Guo Zhou *Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, China. jianguo.zhou@zmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Ministry of Education in China Liberal arts and Social Sciences Foundation No. 24YJCZH462Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project No. 2023ZD0502105Youth Science and Technology Elite Talent Project of Guizhou Provincial Department of Education No.QJJ-2024-333
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCircular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as promising tools in cancer and immunotherapy, with unique characteristics that offer potential therapeutic applications. MAIN BODY: This review outlines the discovery, biogenesis, and mechanisms of circRNAs, emphasizing their roles in cancer and immune regulation. CircRNAs modulate immune responses by acting as miRNA sponges, binding RNA-binding proteins, or serving as translation templates. These interactions influence T cells, NK cells, macrophages, and immune checkpoints. The review also explores circRNAs' roles in different cancers, focusing on target identification, immune effects, and mechanisms of action. Additionally, it examines circRNA-based therapies, including vaccines, CAR-T cell therapy, and database applications.

conclusionDespite their potential, technical hurdles must be overcome to advance circRNAs' clinical use in cancer immunotherapy. Future research should focus on addressing these challenges to fully realize the therapeutic potential of circRNAs.

Indexed as

ImmunotherapyNeoplasmsRNA, CircularAnimalsHumansRNA, CircularBiomarkersCancerCircRNAsImmunotherapyTumor vaccines

Identifiers

PMID40817061
PMCPMC12357350

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.