A circulating microRNA panel as a novel dynamic monitor for oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has high recurrence and mortality rates despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new biomarkers for early detection, efficient monitoring, and prognosis prediction. Since microRNA (miRNA) is stable and detectable in serum, it has been reported to inform the diagnosis and monitor disease progression through liquid biopsy. In this study, a circulating specific miRNA panel in OSCC patients was developed, and its usefulness as a dynamic monitor was validated. Small RNAs were extracted from the serum of OSCC patients (n = 4) and normal controls (n = 6) and profiled using next-generation sequencing. NGS identified 42 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) in serum between patients with OSCC and healthy controls, with threefold differences (p < 0.05). Combining the 42 DEmiRNAs and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases OSCC cohort, 9 overlapping DEmiRNAs were screened out. Finally, 4 significantly up-regulated miRNAs (miR-92a-3p, miR-92b-3p, miR-320c and miR-629-5p) were identified from OSCC patients via validation in the Chungnam National University Hospital cohort. Application of the specific miRNA panel for distinguishing OSCC patients from healthy controls produced specificity and sensitivity of 97.8 and 74%, respectively. In addition, the serum levels of these 4 miRNAs significantly decreased after complete surgical resection and increased after recurrence. We suggest that circulating 4-miRNA panel might be promising non-invasive predictors for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of patients with OSCC.

An ELISA Test Able to Predict the Development of Oral Cancer: The Significance of the Interplay between Steroid Receptors and the EGF Receptor for Early Diagnosis

“…Early-stage OSCC is challenging to detect, resulting in a majority of patients being diagnosed at advanced stages [ 29 , 30 ]. Hence, the development of novel screening and early diagnosis approaches is crucial for reducing OSCC-related morbidity and mortality rates.…”

The Role of miR-92b-3p in Notch Signaling and Monitoring of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Recently, the expression of keratan sulfate in cancer has been shown to be closely associated with aggressive tumor behavior [10], and dynein is crucial for the dissemination of cancer [11]. In a previous study, we discovered a circulating speci c miRNA panel for prompt diagnosis and prognosis surveillance in OSCC [5]. Interestingly, miR-92b-3p was present in both the 15 candidate miRNAs identi ed through screening of multi-cancer databases and the circulating speci c miRNA panel.…”

“…Numerous studies have focused on harnessing the biological functions of miRNAs to counteract the intractable nature of cancer, including employing miRNA inhibitors (anti-miRs) to treat cancers with overexpressed onco-miRs or miRNA mimics to treat cancers with low levels of tumor suppressor miRNAs [4]. Our previous research demonstrated that, due to their stability in body uids, the detection of speci c serum miRNAs can be utilized for early diagnosis and monitoring of OSCC [5]. This suggests that miRNAs hold considerable potential for understanding of the pathogenesis of OSCC, as well as for diagnostic applications.…”

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Concomitant Primary Tumors, What Do We Know? A Review of the Literature

“…p53 expression, p21, p73, and glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms were associated with the risk of SPT among patients with head and neck cancer. A quick and easy method for identifying head and neck cancer patients who are more likely to develop SPTs is immunohistochemistry labeling for p53 overexpression in tumor-distant epithelia; however, the accuracy of similar diagnostic techniques is still under investigation to assess their sensitivity and specificity [ 35 , 36 ].…”