Abstract
MicroRNAs have recently been proposed as non-invasive biomarkers in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of a panel of miRNAs in epithelial cells collected by oral brushing from OSCCs from regenerative areas after OSCC surgical resection and from their respective normal distant mucosa. Oral brushing specimens were collected from 24 healthy donors, 14 OSCC patients with specimens from tumour and normal distant mucosa, and from 13 patients who had OSCC resection, with samples from regenerative areas after OSCC resection and normal distant mucosa. Expression levels of eight targets (miR-21, miR-375, miR-345, miR-181b, miR-146a, miR-649, miR-518b, and miR-191) were evaluated by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A highly significant between-group difference was found for miR-21 (F = 6.58, p < 0.001), miR-146a (F = 6.974, p < 0.001), and miR-191 (F = 17.07, p < 0.001). The major difference was observed between samples from healthy donors and from OSCC brushing, whereas no significant differences were observed between areas infiltrated by OSCC and their respective normal distant mucosa. Furthermore, altered expression of miR-146a and miR-191 was also observed in regenerative areas after OSCC resection. Conclusions: Oral brushing could be proposed as a noninvasive method to study microRNA expression in oral mucosa in OSCC patients.
Highlights
The incidence of second neoplastic manifestations in patients surgically treated for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is high, ranging from 17% to 30% [1], and comprises both synchronous and metachronous tumours that develop before and at 6-month intervals between primary tumours, respectively [2]
We evaluated whether alteration of cancer-related miRNAs can be detected in OSCC exfoliated cells, in the distant clinically normal mucosa of OSCC patients, and in the regenerative area after tumour resection
Oral mucosa brushing was recently proposed as an innovative noninvasive approach for OSCC diagnostic testing, potentially useful for early detection and assessing prognosis through the identification of sensitive and specific markers [46,47,48]
Summary
The incidence of second neoplastic manifestations in patients surgically treated for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is high, ranging from 17% to 30% [1], and comprises both synchronous and metachronous tumours that develop before and at 6-month intervals between primary tumours, respectively [2]. Clinical monitoring and periodical follow-up in OSCC surgical patients are of primary importance for the early detection of recurrences or second primary cancers. Despite being a minor surgical procedure, sometimes patients will decline an oral biopsy due to postoperative pain. For this reason, a noninvasive screening tool would be accepted by patients and very helpful to detect the early development of tumour recurrence
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