Abstract

MicroRNA-93-5p (miR-93) is a novel oncogenic microRNA (miRNA) and is elevated in diverse human malignancies. Aberrant expression and dysfunction of miR-93 are involved in many types of human tumours. However, the exact role of miR-93 remains unclear in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The objective of this study is to determine the expression pattern and clinical significance of miR-93 in HNSCC. MiR-93 expression levels in 103 primary HNSCC tissues and 16 corresponding non-cancerous epithelia were analysed by miRNA in situ hybridisation and correlated with the clinicopathological parameters and patient outcomes. Moreover, the expression of miR-93 was examined in four HNSCC cell lines and 17 pairs of HNSCC tissues and their corresponding adjacent tissues using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The miR-93 levels in HNSCC tissues and cell lines were significantly higher than those in the non-cancerous tissues. Notably, high miR-93 expression was significantly associated with T classification, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis demonstrated that patients with high miR-93 expression had poorer overall survival than patients with low miR-93 expression. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that miR-93 overexpression and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors in patients with HNSCC. This study demonstrated that miR-93 expression was significantly increased in HNSCC tissue samples and cell lines and that miR-93 overexpression was associated with tumour progression, metastasis and poor prognosis in HNSCC patients. These results suggest that miR-93 may play a critical role in the initiation and progression of HNSCC, indicating that miR-93 may be a valuable marker for the prediction of metastasis and prognosis in HNSCC.

Highlights

  • Head and neck cancer, one of the most harmful and lifethreatening diseases, accounts for 6 % of all cancers in humans [1]

  • Changsha 410008, Hunan, China e-mail: xyqyz@hotmail.com e-mail: braver19840112@hotmail.com increased in Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tissue samples and cell lines and that miR-93 overexpression was associated with tumour progression, metastasis and poor prognosis in HNSCC patients. These results suggest that miR-93 may play a critical role in the initiation and progression of HNSCC, indicating that miR-93 may be a valuable marker for the prediction of metastasis and prognosis in HNSCC

  • It was shown that miR-93 was differentially expressed in HNSCC tissues and cells and that the expression of miR-93 was related to T classification, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage and prognosis in HNSCC patients, which suggests that miR-93 may play an oncogenic role in HNSCC

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Summary

Introduction

One of the most harmful and lifethreatening diseases, accounts for 6 % of all cancers in humans [1]. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an important pathological type of head and neck cancer. Despite progress in conventional therapies, such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the survival rate in patients with HNSCC remains unsatisfactory, and metastasis is the major cause of poor prognosis in patients with HNSCC [2]. Identifying new specific markers of metastasis would be of great value for the treatment and prognosis of HNSCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding small RNAs that contain approximately 19–25 nucleotides [3]. They are transcribed from genomic DNAs to generate long primary transcripts, followed by modification by the RNase III-type enzymes Drosha and Dicer to produce pre-miRNAs and mature miRNAs [4]. As a new class of regulatory molecules, miRNAs serve vital functions in many

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