RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently activated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and serves as a valuable target for therapy. Despite the availability of the EGFR inhibitors Cetuximab, Afatinib, and Allitinib, there are limited predictive markers for their response. Understanding molecular aberrations in HNSCC could facilitate the identification of new strategies for patient clinical and biological classification, offering novel therapeutic avenues. METHODS: We assessed CCNA1, DCC, MGMT, CDKN2A/p16, and DAPK methylation status in HNSCC cell lines and their association with anti-EGFR treatment response. RESULTS: MGMT methylation status displayed high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing sensitive and resistant HNSCC cell lines to Afatinib (AUC = 0.955) and Allitinib (AUC = 0.935). Moreover, DAPK methylation status predicted response to Allitinib with high accuracy (AUC = 0.852), indicating their putative predictive biomarker roles. CONCLUSION: These findings hold promise for the development of more personalized and effective treatment approaches for HNSCC patients.
Assuntos
Acrilamidas , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas , Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço , Quinazolinas , Humanos , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas de Cabeça e Pescoço/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas de Cabeça e Pescoço/genética , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/genética , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/metabolismo , Afatinib , Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço/genética , Cetuximab/farmacologia , Cetuximab/uso terapêutico , Receptores ErbB/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Metilases de Modificação do DNA/genética , Metilases de Modificação do DNA/uso terapêutico , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor , Enzimas Reparadoras do DNA/genética , Enzimas Reparadoras do DNA/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Metastatic lymph node involvement influences therapy decisions and serves as a prognostic indicator in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, many early-stage patients with clinically negative lymph nodes exhibit no metastasis upon surgical staging. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs capable of distinguishing pathologically positive (pN+) from negative (pN0) nodes in OSCC patients without clinical evidence of lymph node metastases (cN0). METHODS: Expression levels of 798 miRNAs were assessed in tumor samples from 10 pN+ and 10 pN0 patients using the Nanostring nCounter platform. Validation was performed in an independent cohort of 15 pN+ and 24 pN0 patients through RT-qPCR. RESULTS: Eight miRNAs exhibited differential expression between pN0 and pN+ patients. Notably, hsa-miR-99a-5p demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in predicting patients at higher risk of positive lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight hsa-miR-99a-5p as a potential biomarker for detecting lymph node metastasis in primary OSCC tumors.