Urinary circRNA Biomarkers for Non-Invasive Renal Cell Carcinoma Detection Identified via Whole-Exome RNA Sequencing

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents the most prevalent kidney malignancy, with poor prognosis largely attributed to late-stage diagnosis. Conventional diagnostic modalities appear to demonstrate limited efficacy in detecting early-stage RCC, the development of sensitive and non-invasive biomarkers is necessary. This study explores the potential of circular RNAs (circRNAs) as it characterized as novel biomarkers for RCC detection through comprehensive expression profiling in urine samples. Within this broader analytical framework, whole-exome capture RNA sequencing on urine samples from three RCC patients and three healthy controls to identify the differences expressed circRNAs. Results support the complexity of these theoretical relationships, distinct circRNA expression patterns exist, CircRNAs appear to exhibit substantially elevated expression levels in the majority of samples compared to controls. Especially, the circ-ZNF609 appears to emerge the constitute an oncogenic circRNA with potential diagnostic utility. CircRNAs may largely represent as stable and detectable biomarkers for non-invasive RCC diagnosis. The identified circRNA signatures may facilitate early RCC detection and enhance clinical outcomes in patient management, offering a promising solution for improving diagnostic accuracy in renal malignancies.