Novel circRNA signatures in cervical cancer: implications for early detection and screening

We identified 5790 statistically significant circRNAs that were differentially expressed between benign and cancerous cervical tissues; circ_0123115 (log2FC = 5.10, p = 1.66 × 10⁻⁵⁵), associated with FGF12, was the most significant. Comparing benign to precancerous tissues, we found 1439 circRNAs with statistically significant differential expression, with circ_0100775 (log2FC = 2.13, p = 1.38 × 10⁻¹⁸), associated with TDRD3, being the most significant. Between precancerous and cancerous tissues, 4915 circRNAs were differentially expressed with statistical significance; circ_0006038 (log2FC = 4.74, p = 1.22 × 10⁻⁴⁰), associated with STXBP6, was the most significant. In a three-way comparison, 57,749 circRNAs were differentially expressed, with circ_0106394 (p = 3.02 × 10⁻²¹), associated with USP22, being the most significant. Our study identified circRNAs with significant differential expression across benign, precancerous, and cancerous cervical tissues, demonstrating their potential role in cervical cancer progression.