Abstract
Microvesicles (MVs), which are cell‐derived membrane vesicles present in body fluids, are closely associated with the development of malignant tumours. Saliva, one of the most versatile body fluids, is an important source of MVs. However, the association between salivary MVs (SMVs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which is directly immersed in the salivary milieu, remains unclear. SMVs from 65 patients with OSCC, 21 patients with oral ulcer (OU), and 42 healthy donors were purified, quantified and analysed for their correlations with the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of OSCC patients. The results showed that the level of SMVs was significantly elevated in patients with OSCC compared to healthy donors and OU patients. Meanwhile, the level of SMVs showed close correlations with the lymph node status, and the clinical stage of OSCC patients. Additionally, the ratio of apoptotic to non‐apoptotic SMVs was significantly decreased in OSCC patients with higher pathological grade. Consistently, poorer overall survival was observed in patients with lower ratio of apoptotic to non‐apoptotic SMVs. In conclusion, the elevated level of SMVs is associated with clinicopathologic features and decreased survival in patients with OSCC, suggesting that SMVs are a potential biomarker and/or regulator of the malignant progression of OSCC.
Highlights
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common subtype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.[1]
Our previous studies have shown that the level of circulating MVs (CMVs) in peripheral blood is significantly elevated in patients with OSCC compared to healthy donors, and it is positively correlated with the clinical features of OSCC patients.[8,9]
We found that the majority of CMVs in OSCC patients were negative for Annexin V staining (Figure 3C)
Summary
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common subtype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.[1]. In addition to various biological functions, MVs possess significant potential to serve as biomarkers for malignant tu‐ mours.[4]. It has been well‐established that MVs are present and elevated. Our previous studies have shown that the level of circulating MVs (CMVs) in peripheral blood is significantly elevated in patients with OSCC compared to healthy donors, and it is positively correlated with the clinical features of OSCC patients.[8,9]. A previous study showed that the level of apoptotic MVs in peripheral blood possessed diagnostic sig‐ nificance in lung cancer.[22]. The level of total SMVs and the proportion of apoptotic SMVs were evaluated and compared among healthy donors, patients with oral ulcer (OU) and patients with OSCC. In ad‐ dition, the correlations of SMVs with the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of OSCC patients was examined
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