Evaluation of miRNA-expression and clinical tumour parameters in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. The past decades have not led to substantial improvement in diagnosis and therapy. Analysis of miRNA-expression may help to determine the progression profiles and outcomes of many different diseases, including HNSCC. Therefore, in this investigation, 43 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of oral squamous cell carcinoma were micro-dissected, analysed for expression of 30 miRNAs and were compared with non-tumorous tissue. Furthermore, correlation analysis was performed, investigating possible correlations of miRNA-expression and patient or tumour-linked data, such as age, sex, tumour stage and size. miRNA extraction from FFPE samples functioned well for OSCC, and several miRNAs were differently expressed in tumours compared with non-tumorous tissue (i.e., miR-99*; miR-224; miR-205*), indicating their possible utility as biomarkers. Moreover, some miRNAs showed significant correlations with clinical and pathological data (e.g. tumour size: miR-3156, P = 0.033; T-stage: miR-212, P = 0.0009).