Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent malignancy with high morbidity and mortality as a result of early metastasis and poor prognosis. Metastasis is a multistep process, involving various signalling pathways. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of covalently closed noncoding RNAs, the aberrant expression of which is reported to be involved in several biological events, including cell transformation, proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and metastasis. Several studies have reported interactions between circRNAs and metastasis-associated signalling pathways. The abundance, stability and highly specific expression of candidate circRNAs make them potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in OSCC. In this review article, we comprehensively describe metastasis-related circRNAs and their interactions with epithelial–mesenchymal transition-associated molecules. We also describe the molecular mechanisms and clinical relevance of circRNAs in OSCC progression and metastasis.

中文翻译：

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食管鳞状细胞癌转移相关环状RNA的生物学和临床意义

食管鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）是一种常见的恶性肿瘤，由于早期转移和预后不良，发病率和死亡率都很高。转移是一个多步骤过程，涉及各种信号通路。环状 RNA (circRNA) 是一类共价闭合的非编码 RNA，据报道其异常表达与细胞转化、增殖、迁移、侵袭、凋亡和转移等多种生物学事件有关。一些研究报告了 circRNA 与转移相关信号通路之间的相互作用。候选 circRNA 的丰度、稳定性和高度特异性表达使其成为 OSCC 中潜在的生物标志物和治疗靶点。在这篇评论文章中，我们全面描述了与转移相关的 circRNA 及其与上皮-间质转化相关分子的相互作用。我们还描述了 circRNA 在 OSCC 进展和转移中的分子机制和临床相关性。