MiR-221 as a pre- and postoperative plasma biomarker for larynx cancer patients

Abstract

Larynx cancer (LCa), known to be the most commontumor of the head and neck region, accounts for about1% to 2.5% of all human neoplasms, and approximately95% to 98% of LCa is originated from squamous cell car-cinoma.1–3The highest incidence rate of LCa is observedin middle-aged and elderly men, and its incidenceincreases globally due of rise in alcohol consumption andtobacco use rates.4–6The other predisposing risk factorsare exposure to carcinogens, air pollution, nutrition, sexhormones, and heredity.Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and combinationtherapy are the frequently used treatment options for early stage and localized LCa; however, radiochemother-apy is the only option for metastasized and advancedcancer cases and occasionally does not result in positiveoutcome. Although different therapeutic approacheshave been suggested for LCa, they remain controversialand further efforts are needed for their effective utiliza-tion against LCa.There is growing evidence that microRNAs (miR-NAs) play significant roles in the regulation of severalcellular and developmental processes as well as in carci-nogenesis.7MicroRNAs are 21- to 25-nucleotides long,noncoding, and endogenously synthesized small RNAsthat regulate their target genes’ expressions at the post-transcriptional level through binding 3’-untranslatedregions and leading to degradation of target mRNAs orrepression of mRNA translation.8Alterations in miRNAlevels have been associated with distinct cancer typesand several diseases, and they can act as oncogenes ortumor suppressors. Recent studies indicate that miRNAsplay critical roles in cancer initiation, progression, andmetastasis.9–11Moreover, miRNAs are present in a sta-ble form in several human body fluids, including blood;urine; prostate secretion; breast milk; tears; bronchiallavage; and colostrum, seminal, pleural, peritoneal, andcerebrospinal fluids.12,13MicroRNAs have also beenshown to have potential for use as diagnostic or prognos-tic biomarkers.In this study, we compared the miRNA profile ofplasma samples obtained from 30 LCa patients (preoper-ative and postoperative serum samples) and 30 healthycontrols. We found miR-221, as upregulated in LCa plasma samples, which can be postulated as a novel bio-marker for prediction of the success of LCa surgery.