MicroRNA expression and its implications for diagnosis and therapy of tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common type of oral squamous cell carcinomas and is well known for its high rate of lymph nodal metastasis. Despite the identification of many molecular mechanisms in TSCC, the number of deaths associated with TSCC increased during the past 5 years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of small non-coding RNA molecules, which regulate gene expression by either translational inhibition or mRNA degradation. miRNAs have been proven to be key regulators of various biological and pathological processes including cell proliferation, development and tumourigenesis. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that the deregulated miRNAs are implicated in the diagnosis and treatment of TSCC. In this review, we summarized the expressions and roles of miRNAs in TSCC and comment on the potential roles of miRNAs in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of this malignancy.