Differential expression of hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 between oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral lichen planus

Background/aims: Reliable biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity and the potential to discriminate precancerous or early lesions from oral cancer improve scientific assessment and early detection. Dysregulated circRNAs play a critical role in the occurrence and progression of malignant biological behaviors of OSCC. The study of potential diagnostic roles of hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 in early diagnostic of precancerous lesions such as OLP to OSCC as the most common type of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) was the focus of present research. Methods: The differential expression of hsa_circ_0064357, hsa_circ_0064358, and RAF1 target gene predicted using CircInteractome and Circbase databases between OSCC (n=30), OLP (n=10) tissues and their adjacent normal tissues were evaluated by qRT-PCR. The potential diagnostic value of circRNAs was identified by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 were identified to be lowly expressed, while RAF1 was upregulated in OSCC and OLP tissues more than adjacent normal tissues. Low expression of circRNAs was markedly correlated with TNM stages of OSCC patients. ROC analysis revealed AUC of 0.962 and 0.965 for hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358, respectively, suggesting that circRNAs can serve as novel diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of OSCC. Conclusion: hsa_circ_0064357 and hsa_circ_0064358 might be involved in the progression and metastasis of OSCC and could be used as promising novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and the clinical monitoring of the malignant transformation of OLP into OSCC