The prognostic role of micro-RNAs in Head and Neck Cancers: an umbrella review

Abstract Head and neck cancer (HNC) represents the sixth most common cancer and the seventh cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Because of HNC high mortality and morbidity a support from the development of new biomarkers and personalized care for patients is needed. The role of micro-RNAs (miRs), as new epigenetic biomarkers, aimed at improving early diagnosis, predicting prognosis and establishing effective cancer therapies, has recently received considerable attention. The aim of this study was to conduct an umbrella review that synthetizes all the findings of systematic reviews already available in literature that investigate the prognostic role of miRs as potential biomarkers in the field of tertiary prevention of HNC. We selected systematic reviews, published in English until December 2019, related to human HNC with meta-analysis of observational studies that reported quantitative prognostic measures, Hazard Ratios (HRs), of Overall Survival (OS) or Disease-Free Survival (DFS). The methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews AMSTAR 2 tool. Six systematic reviews were included in the umbrella review. The most reported miRNAs were: miR21; the Let7 family (c,d,g), miR17, 18 family, 20a, 29 family, 125b, 375. A total of 4 reviews assessed miR-21 expression in HNC patients, all showing its upregulation. The most frequently studied miR was miR21 which was reported either in the OS and DFS statistical analyses. The OS analysis showed a significant lower prognosis when miR21 was upregulated. It is involved in oncogenic and oncosuppressive cell signals pathways: the overexpression of miR21 was shown to be associated with cell proliferation, migration, invasion and survival. Recently the cumulative effects of sets of miRs has been increasingly studied and they might be stronger predictor of survival than single. The role of miRNAs as a prognostic biomarker specifically in HNC still need to be investigated. Key messages Some miRs were demonstrated to have as tumor-suppressing and oncogenic roles according to their level of regulation (up/down-regulation) in Head and Neck cancer patients. The role of miRs as prognostic biomarkers in HNC patients still need to be addressed by performing large scale to verify and enhance the power of evidence and clinical utility of these.

Download Full-text

The Prognostic Role of Micro-RNAs in Head and Neck Cancers: An Umbrella Review

Journal of Personalized Medicine ◽

10.3390/jpm11080821 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 821

Author(s):

Marco Mariani ◽

Carolina Castagna ◽

Stefania Boccia ◽

Roberta Pastorino

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Disease Free Survival ◽

Umbrella Review ◽

Prognostic Role ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Micro Rnas

We conducted an umbrella review which synthetizes the findings of systematic reviews available in the literature that investigate the prognostic role of miRNAs as potential biomarkers in the field of tertiary prevention of head and neck Cancer (HNC). We selected systematic reviews in English related to HNC, with meta-analysis of observational studies that reported quantitative prognostic measures, hazard ratios (HRs), overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS). The methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed by using the AMSTAR-2 tool. The most reported miRNAs were the following: miRNA2, Let7 family and miR17, etc. Four out of six reviews particularly emphasized the link between miRNA21 expression and HNC patients. Recently the cumulative effects of sets of miRNAs have been increasingly studied and might be a stronger predictor of survival than single miRNA.

Download Full-text

Circulating MicroRNAs as Prognostic Molecular Biomarkers in Human Head and Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Disease Markers ◽

10.1155/2019/8632018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shree Ram Lamichhane ◽

Thanuja Thachil ◽

Harriet Gee ◽

Natalie Milic

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Prognostic Role ◽

Circulating Micrornas

Background. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are potential molecular biomarkers for cancer detection; however, little is known about their prognostic role in head and neck cancer. This current study is aimed at evaluating the role of novel miRNAs in the survival of head and neck cancer patients. Materials and Methods. We performed a systematic literature search using online databases for articles published between December 2006 and February 2019. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the correlation between miRNA expressions and overall survival (OS) among the selected head and neck cancer studies. After multilevel screening by reviewers, meta-analysis was performed using hazard ratios (HR) and associated 95% confidence interval (CI) of survival to calculate a pooled effect size. Result. A total of 1577 patients across 13 studies were included in the literature review, with 18 miRNAs upregulated and 4 miRNAs downregulated predicting a poor overall survival. The forest plot generated using cumulated survival data resulted in a pooled HR value of 2.943 (95% CI: 2.394-3.618) indicating a strong association of dysregulated miRNA expression with a poor outcome. Only 2 miRNAs—low levels of miR-9 and high levels of miR-483-5p—were observed in two studies, both showing a significant association with overall cancer survival. Conclusion. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis that examines the prognostic role of circulating miRNAs from blood in head and neck cancer patients. The combined effect estimates a HR across multiple studies and also supports the previous individual findings that an alteration in miRNA expression is highly associated with poor prognosis. This has the potential to use serum and/or plasma miRNAs as biomarkers and become novel tools for predicting the prognosis of head and neck cancer patients in the near future.

Download Full-text

EP-1070: Prognostic role of FDG-PET performed before or during radiotherapy in head and neck cancer

Radiotherapy and Oncology ◽

10.1016/s0167-8140(16)32320-9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 119 ◽

pp. S515

Author(s):

M. Min ◽

P. Lin ◽

M. Lee ◽

I. Ho Shon ◽

M. Lin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Prognostic Role

Download Full-text

Prognostic Role of PD-1/PD-L1 Expression in Patients with Head And Neck Cancer and Its Correlation with HPV/p16

International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics ◽

10.1016/j.ijrobp.2018.07.1024 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 102 (3) ◽

pp. e333

Author(s):

X. Lv ◽

Q. Qiao ◽

G. Li

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Prognostic Role

Download Full-text

Prognostic Role of p16 in Non-oropharyngeal Head and Neck Cancer

International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics ◽

10.1016/j.ijrobp.2017.12.037 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 100 (5) ◽

pp. 1319

Author(s):

A.K. Bryant ◽

L. Vitzthum ◽

K. Zakeri ◽

H. Shen ◽

J.D. Murphy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Prognostic Role

Download Full-text

Erratum to “Prognostic Role of Serum Amino Acids in Head and Neck Cancer”

Disease Markers ◽

10.1155/2021/5806367 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

Gabriella Cadoni ◽

Luca Giraldi ◽

Carlo Chiarla ◽

Jacopo Gervasoni ◽

Silvia Persichilli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Prognostic Role ◽

Serum Amino Acids

Download Full-text

Prognostic role of internal jugular vein preservation in neck dissection for head and neck cancer

Journal of Surgical Oncology ◽

10.1002/jso.23436 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 108 (8) ◽

pp. 579-583 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

O. Gallo ◽

R. Santoro ◽

F.R. Fiorini ◽

G. MecCariello ◽

R.M. Laganà ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Dissection ◽

Internal Jugular Vein ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Jugular Vein ◽

Prognostic Role

Download Full-text

Role of Human Papillomavirus Infection in Head and Neck Cancer in Italy: The HPV-AHEAD Study

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers12123567 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 3567

Author(s):

Marta Tagliabue ◽

Marisa Mena ◽

Fausto Maffini ◽

Tarik Gheit ◽

Beatriz Quirós Blasco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Human Papillomavirus ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Disease Free Survival ◽

Hpv Dna ◽

Hpv E6 ◽

Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded

Literature on the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck cancer (HNC) in Italy is limited, especially for non-oropharyngeal tumours. Within the context of the HPV-AHEAD study, we aimed to assess the prognostic value of different tests or test algorithms judging HPV carcinogenicity in HNC and factors related to HPV positivity at the European Institute of Oncology. We conducted a retrospective cohort study (2000–2010) on a total of 696 primary HNC patients. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cancer tissues were studied. All HPV-DNA-positive and a random sample of HPV-DNA-negative cases were subjected to HPV-E6*I mRNA detection and p16INK4a staining. Multivariate models were used to assess for factors associated with HPV positivity and proportional hazards for survival and recurrence. The percentage of HPV-driven cases (considering HPV-E6*I mRNA positivity) was 1.8, 2.2, and 40.4% for oral cavity (OC), laryngeal (LC), and oropharyngeal (OPC) cases, respectively. The estimates were similar for HPV-DNA/p16INK4a double positivity. Being a non-smoker or former smoker or diagnosed at more recent calendar periods were associated with HPV-E6*I mRNA positivity only in OPC. Being younger was associated with HPV-E6*I mRNA positivity in LC. HPV-driven OPC, but not HPV-driven OC and LC, showed better 5 year overall and disease-free survival. Our data show that HPV prevalence in OPC was much higher than in OC and LC and observed to increase in most recent years. Moreover, HPV positivity conferred better prognosis only in OPC. Novel insights on the role of HPV in HNC in Italy are provided, with possible implications in the clinical management of these patients.

Download Full-text