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Review | Open Access

Cancer Drug Resistance

Singh et al. Cancer Drug Resist. 2025;8:56 DOI:10.20517/cdr.2025.142

Circular RNA-based liquid biopsy: a promising
approach for monitoring drug resistance in cancer

Desh Deepak Singh , Dharmendra Kumar Yadav 2 , Dongyun Shin 2
1
Keywords:
Liquid biopsy, circular RNAs
(circRNAs), drug resistance,
cancer biomarkers,
non-invasive monitoring

Citation: Singh DD,
Yadav DK, Shin D. Circular
RNA-based liquid biopsy: a
promising approach for
monitoring drug resistance
in cancer. Cancer Drug Resist.
2025;8:56.
https://dx.doi.org/10.20517
/cdr.2025.142

Received: 15 Jul 2025
First Decision: 18 Aug
2025 Abstract
Revised: 29 Aug 2025
Accepted: 11 Sep 2025 Drug resistance remains a significant challenge in achieving successful cancer treatment,
Published: 30 Oct 2025 often leading to disease recurrence and reduced patient survival. While traditional tissue
biopsies provide valuable insights into tumor biology, they are invasive, infrequent, and
Academic Editors:
Godefridus J. Peters, may fail to capture the full complexity of tumor heterogeneity and dynamic molecular
Jianliang Shen changes. In contrast, liquid biopsy has emerged as a minimally invasive, real-time approach
Copy Editor: for monitoring tumor evolution through the analysis of circulating biomarkers. Among
Pei-Yun Wang these biomarkers, circular RNAs (circRNAs) - a distinct class of non-coding RNAs
Production Editor:
Pei-Yun Wang characterized by covalently closed-loop structures - have gained attention due to their
remarkable stability, abundance in body fluids, and functional involvement in gene
regulation. Increasing evidence supports the role of circRNAs in mediating drug resistance
through mechanisms such as inhibition of apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition,
autophagy, and drug efflux, largely via interactions with microRNAs or proteins. Advanced
detection methods, including quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction,
droplet digital polymerase chain reaction, and RNA sequencing, combined with
computational tools, enable precise profiling of circRNAs in plasma or exosomes.
CircRNA-based liquid biopsies offer a dynamic, non-invasive strategy for early detection of
therapeutic resistance and may guide personalized treatment decisions. This review
highlights the technological advancements, biological relevance, and clinical promise of

1 Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303002, India.
2 College of Pharmacy, Gachon University, Incheon 21924, Republic of Korea.

Correspondence to: Assist. Prof. Dharmendra Kumar Yadav, Prof. Dongyun Shin, College of Pharmacy, Gachon University, Incheon 21924,
Republic of Korea. E-mail: dharmendra30oct@gmail.com; dyshin@gachon.ac.kr

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