Abstract
Identification of a microRNA (miRNA) pattern to be used as a biomarker for HNSCC is challenging given the heterogeneity of the disease and different methodologies used. To better define the field, we performed a prospective analysis of blood, tumor, and paired benign tissues in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients. Plasma samples were collected prior to surgery, and paired tumor and benign tissue blocks were collected from tongue cancer resections. Circulating free and exosomal miRNA, and paired tumor and benign tissues miRNA were analyzed. TaqMan-based miRNA arrays were used to quantitate the expression of 747 human miRNAs. The comparative Ct method assessed the miRNA profile results, and Student's t-test determined statistical significance between tumor and benign samples. Sixteen of 359 miRNAs detected were differentially expressed between paired tumor and benign tissue. Nine were upregulated, and seven downregulated in tumor tissue. All nine upregulated and six of seven downregulated tumor miRNAs were expressed in circulating exosomes. In contrast, eight of nine upregulated and four of seven downregulated tumor miRNAs were circulating free in the plasma. An aberrantly expressed pattern of miRNA was identified in both tumor and plasma of patients with tongue SCC, suggesting this may be a biomarker for SCC of the oral tongue. Circulating exosomes appear to be a more reliable method for evaluation of circulating tumor-miRNA expression. Further studies with a larger cohort of patients and serial blood samples are needed to validate our findings.
Highlights
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) representing over 90% of all histologies [1]
Sixteen of 359 miRNAs detected were differentially expressed between tumor and matched benign tissue: 9 were upregulated, and 7 downregulated in tumor tissue in comparison to matched benign tissue (Table 2)
All nine upregulated tumor-tissue miRNAs were expressed in both tumor and plasma, except for hsa-miR-512-3p, which was only present in tumor and within exosomes
Summary
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) representing over 90% of all histologies [1]. In an effort to improve cure rates, identification of a biomarker that detects cancer at an earlier stage would be a useful screening/diagnostic tool. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (19–25 nucleotides) noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression through complementary binding to a part of their target messenger RNA sequence, degrading it or inhibiting its translation [2]. To better define the field, we performed a prospective analysis of blood, tumor, and paired benign tissues in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients
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