Background: Several recent studies have indicated that the lymph node ratio (LNR) is an independent prognostic factor for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LHSCC). The purpose of this paper is to assess the prognostic value of LNR and explore appropriate cutoff values by conducting a systematic review and metaanalysis. Methods: Pubmed, Embase (via Ovid), and Cochrane library were systematically searched for studies on the prognostic value of LNR in LHSCC up to October 31, 2019. Then, Literature review, data extraction, and quality assessment of eligible studies were performed by two independent reviewers back-to-back. Lastly, Stata 14.0 software was hired to conduct a meta-analysis. Results: A total of 445 articles were retrieved, and 13 studies published in English between 2013 and 2019 were included after the title/abstract and full-text screening. Among the 13 studies contributed to 4197 patients, seven studies were about hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC), four studies about laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), and the remaining two studies about LHSCC. The meta-analysis results showed that shorter overall survival (OS) (HR 1.49; 95%CI: 1.18 to 1.88), disease-specific survival (DSS) (HR 1.66; 95%CI: 1.32 to 2.07) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 2.04; 95%CI: 1.54 to 2.71) were significantly correlated with a higher LNR in a random-effect model. The cutoff values of eligible studies were varied from 0.03 to 0.14, and the lowest significant LNR was 0.044. Conclusion: LNR is a valuable prognostic factor in the survival of LHSCC and may be used to improve the tumor staging systems, which, however, requires the solid support of more high-quality studies.

MicroRNA (miRNA/miR) has been identified to be a promising tool in treating pharyngolaryngeal cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the role of miR-490-5p in the regulation of proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pharyngolaryngeal cancer cells. The data of miR-490-5p expression levels of 45 cases were obtained from the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and the prediction of the target of miR-490-5p was conducted by bioinformatics and verified using a luciferase assay. Cell viability was determined by cell counting kit-8. Migration and invasion rates were measured by wound healing test and Transwell apparatus, respectively. Colony formation rate was measured by plate colony formation assay. mRNA and protein levels were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. miR-490-5p expression was significantly depressed in primary pharyngolaryngeal cancer tissues and cell lines, leading to an unfavorable prognosis. Evidently, miR-490-5p overexpression decreased the cell viabilities of BICR 18 and FaDu cells. Mechanically, miR-490-5p could target mitogen-activated protein kinase kinasekinase 9 (MAP3K9). The overexpression of MAP3K9 could promote cell viability, migration and invasion rates, EMT process and ability of cloning, miR-490-5p could target MAP3K9 and further modulate the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of pharyngolaryngeal cancer cells. The results of the present study provide a novel entry point to the treatment of pharyngolaryngeal cancer.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) is a specific subgroup of papillary thyroid carcinoma and defined with the dimension ≤1 cm by the WHO. Although it shows a relatively high 10-year livability, the metastasis of PTMC into other tissues and organs seriously affects the daily life of patients with relatively high mortality. Therefore, the genetic basis for the metastasis of PTMC needs to be explored for effective therapeutic targets. Here, we conducted a series of comparative analysis of the transcriptional expression profile between PTMC patients with and without lymph node metastasis. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Gene expression profile and gene function were analyzed using RNA extracted from pathological tissues of 12 patients with PTMC, and the core biomarkers closely related to its metastasis were identified. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Our results showed that 7,507 genes and 42 RNAs showed remarkably different expression patterns. More sophisticated analysis showed that the high expression of 2 lncRNAs (T077499 and T004533) resulted in the metastasis of PTMC, which suggests that the expression pattern of the 2 lncRNAs may act as a potential biomarker for pathogenesis and prognosis of PTMC metastasis. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our findings preliminarily reveal the molecular mechanisms for PTMC metastasis, which will provide vital reference for subsequent studies about the genetic basis and molecular targeted therapy for PTMC metastasis.

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