Association of Decreased Expression of Serum miR-9 with Poor Prognosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Serum, plasma and saliva biomarkers for head and neck cancer

INTRODUCTION

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) encompasses tumors arising from several locations (oral and nasal cavities, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands, pharynx, and larynx) and currently stands as the sixth most common cancer worldwide. The most important risk factors identified so far are tobacco and alcohol consumption, and, for a subgroup of HNSCCs, infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Despite several improvements in the treatment of these tumors in the last decades, overall survival rates have only improved marginally, mainly due to the advanced clinical stage at diagnosis and the high rates of treatment failure associated with this late diagnosis. Areas covered: This review will focus on the feasibility of evaluating molecular-based biomarkers (mRNA, microRNA, lncRNA, DNA methylation and protein expression) in body fluids (serum, plasma, and saliva) as markers for diagnosis, prognosis, and surveillance. Expert commentary: The potential use of those markers in the clinical setting would allow for early diagnosis, prediction of treatment response, improvement in treatment selection and provide disease monitoring for early detection of tumor recurrence. It can ultimately be translated into better survival rates and improved quality of life for HNSCC patients.

Cell-free nucleic acids in body fluids as biomarkers for the prediction and early detection of recurrent head and neck cancer: A systematic review of the literature

Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive detection method for molecular biomarkers in body fluids which may serve as a novel tool in management of head and neck cancer. The purpose of this systematic review is to outline the current status of liquid biopsy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients by systematically identifying and qualifying all published studies on the diagnostic or prognostic value of cell-free nucleic acids detection for posttreatment disease monitoring and/or disease outcome. A search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. Study and patient characteristics, molecular analysis method and treatment or prognostic outcomes were extracted. Seventeen studies investigated circulating miRNAs in blood. Of these studies, 16 found statistically significant results for a total of 24 different candidate miRNAs for prognostication or treatment monitoring. The remaining studies investigated circulating tumor DNA by targeting somatic mutations, allelic imbalances, hypermethylation, or HPV-DNA. Of these studies, 2 found a statistically significant association between nucleic acid levels (tumor DNA targeted by allelic imbalances and HPV-DNA) in blood and/or saliva and prognostic outcome. One study found significantly different pre- and posttreatment levels of mitochondrial DNA in serum. Despite large differences among these studies in both design and results, individual results are promising and provide ground for more large-scale studies with standardized serial assessment of patient samples in the future.

Positron Emission Tomographic Imaging Elucidates the Complex Relationship Between Glucose Uptake and Tissue Blood Flow Mechanism in Squamous Cell Oral Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND Through the clinical use of positron emission tomography, we aimed to elucidate the complex relationship between glucose uptake and squamous cell oral cancer (ScOC) growth, along with its mechanism with respect to tissue blood flow (tBF). MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed a total of 69 newly diagnosed ScOC patients by Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). Maximum and mean standard uptake values (SUV↑ and SUV) were recorded to assess glucose uptake. Multi-shot spin-echo echo-planar imaging-based pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pcASL) technique at 3.0 T MRI was used to obtain tBF values in ScOC (tBF-ScOC). Patients were divided according to T-stage and location. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated between both SUV and tBF-ScOC for significant correlations. RESULTS Forty-one (59.4%) patients had oropharynx and the other 28 (40.6%) patients had laryngopharynx. Significant positive correlations were detected between SUV↑, SUV, tBF-ScOC and non-advanced T-stage (T1a, T1b, T2 and T3), while a negative correlation was observed in the advanced T-stage (T4a and T4b). CONCLUSIONS Using PET imaging, we established the relationship between glucose uptake and ScOC growth on the basis of the division of T-stage and tumor location of ScOC, thereby elucidating the underlying mechanism. Our findings provide insights important to the diagnosis, treatment, and care of ScOC patients.

Plasma microRNA-9 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose Emerging evidence indicates that circulating microRNAs (miRs) might act as noninvasive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. We examined the expression pattern and clinical significance of plasma miR-9 in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods Venous blood samples (6 mL) were collected from 131 patients with ESCC and 131 healthy controls, and the plasma miR-9 concentration was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The association of plasma miR-9 expression with clinicopathologic factors and survival of patients with ESCC was evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to evaluate the clinical value of plasma miR-9 for ESCC diagnosis. Results The plasma miR-9 expression levels in patients with ESCC were significantly upregulated compared with normal controls. High plasma miR-9 concentrations were significantly correlated with poor tumor differentiation, large tumor size, deep local invasion, lymph node metastasis, advanced clinical stage, and poor survival. ROC curve analysis showed that the plasma miR-9 concentration could efficiently distinguish patients with ESCC from healthy controls. Multivariate survival analysis confirmed plasma miR-9 as an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Conclusions Plasma miR-9 expression was upregulated in ESCC and might act as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker.

TNF-Alpha Promotes Invasion and Metastasis via NF-Kappa B Pathway in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

Recent evidence reveals that the inflammatory microenvironment is associated with tumor migration, invasion, and metastasis. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) play a vital role in regulation of the inflammatory process in tumor development. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is one of the key transcription factors which regulate processes in tumor promotion. The aim of this study was to explore the role of NF-κB on the invasion and migration of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Material/Methods

The IKKβ and p65 mRNA and protein levels were determined by quantitative RT-PCR and western blot. Wound scratch healing assays and transwell migration assays were used to evaluate the effect of TNF-α and BAY11-7082 on the migration of the OSCC cell lines (HN4, HN6, and CAL27).

Results

We observed a significant increase of the expression level of IKKβ and p65 in OSCC cells from the experimental group at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after TNF-α stimulation. Invasion and metastasis of OSCC cells was obviously improved after the TNF-α stimulation. Invasion and metastasis ability of OSCC cells was inhibited in the suppression group, and no significant changes were observed in expression level of IKKβ and p65 after the use of BAY11-7082.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that TNF-α enhances the invasion and metastasis ability of OSCC cells via the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Circulating miRNAs from blood, plasma or serum as promising clinical biomarkers in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review of current findings

The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize current findings on the use of circulating miRNAs from blood, serum and plasma as cancer biomarkers in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Studies were gathered after searching four different electronic databases: PUBMED, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Additional search was carried out through cross check on bibliography of selected articles. After the selection process made by two of the authors, 16 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Results showed that circulating miRNAs from blood, serum or plasma represent promising candidates as cancer biomarkers in patients suffering from oral cancer. The possibility to predict recurrences and metastases through follow-up quantification of candidate miRNAs represents another potential feature to be addressed in future studies. However, methodological standardization and uniform sampling is needed to increase the power and accuracy of results.