The Journal of Practical Medicine >

2026 , Vol. 42 >Issue 12: 2153 - 2160

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.12.009

Oncology: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

Function and clinical significance of circular RNA circGAS5 in plasma of patients with chemoresistant rectal cancer

  • Zihao PAN ,
  • Jiatong LIN ,
  • Meiyu JIANG ,
  • Xiaoyan OU ,
  • Zejian Lü
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  • Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery，Department of General Surgery，Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital （Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences），Southern Medical University，Guangzhou 510080，Guangdong，China

Received date: 2026-03-26

  Online published: 2026-06-30

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the expression level of circGAS5 in the peripheral blood of patients with chemotherapy-resistant rectal cancer and to explore its role in chemotherapy resistance as well as its clinical value in the diagnosis of chemotherapy resistance. Methods A circRNA microarray was initially carried out to screen for circGAS5 as a target associated with chemotherapy resistance in rectal cancer. Subsequently， CCK-8 and colony formation assays were performed in tumor cells to explore its influence on the malignant phenotype of chemotherapy resistance. Clinically， 44 patients with chemotherapy-resistant rectal cancer and 108 patients with chemotherapy-sensitive rectal cancer were recruited. The expression level of circGAS5 in plasma was measured using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction （ddPCR）. Statistical analyses， including the t-test， chi-square test， univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses， and the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， were utilized to assess the relationship between circGAS5 and chemotherapy resistance in rectal cancer. Results In vitro experiments demonstrated that the expression of circGAS5 was significantly up-regulated in chemotherapy-resistant cells and their culture media， and it was accompanied by enhanced structural stability. Clinical data analysis indicated that the plasma expression levels of circGAS5 were significantly higher in patients with chemotherapy-resistant rectal cancer than in those with chemotherapy-sensitive disease （P < 0.001）. Multivariate logistic regression analysis further confirmed that high plasma circGAS5 expression was an independent risk factor for chemotherapy resistance （OR = 3.41， 95%CI： 2.15 - 5.41， P < 0.001）. ROC curve analysis showed a favorable diagnostic performance with an area under the curve （AUC） of 0.827 9， and the AUC remained stable in subgroup analyses， suggesting the robust diagnostic value of circGAS5. Functional assays showed that circGAS5 promoted the progression of the malignant phenotype associated with chemotherapy resistance in rectal cancer cells. Conclusion circGAS5 may serve as a promising biomarker in peripheral blood for evaluating chemotherapy resistance in rectal cancer.

Key words： rectal cancer; circular RNA; biomarker; diagnostic model; circGAS5

Cite this article

Zihao PAN , Jiatong LIN , Meiyu JIANG , Xiaoyan OU , Zejian Lü . Function and clinical significance of circular RNA circGAS5 in plasma of patients with chemoresistant rectal cancer[J]. The Journal of Practical Medicine, 2026 , 42(12) : 2153 -2160 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.12.009

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