Circulating Long Noncoding RNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) diagnosis is often delayed due to anatomical complexity and lack of specific biomarkers.
• Current diagnostic methods can be invasive and may not detect HNSCC at early, more treatable stages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify novel circulating long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) biomarkers for minimally invasive, early detection of primary HNSCC.
• To investigate the diagnostic potential of plasma lncRNA profiles in HNSCC patients.

Main Methods:

• Global lncRNA expression profiling using microarray and next-generation RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) on plasma and tissue samples.
• Development and validation of a diagnostic prediction model incorporating lncRNA signatures and clinical features.
• Risk score analysis and multi-stage validation were employed to assess model performance.

Main Results:

• 432 circulating and 333 tissue lncRNA transcripts showed differential expression in HNSCC patients.
• Twelve lncRNAs were consistently identified in both sample types.
• A three-lncRNA signature (HOXA11-AS, LINC00964, MALAT1) achieved high diagnostic accuracy (AUCs of 0.925 and 0.839) in training and validation sets, respectively.

Conclusions:

• HOXA11-AS, LINC00964, and MALAT1 are promising candidate circulating biomarkers for early HNSCC detection.
• These lncRNAs offer potential for a future minimally invasive diagnostic strategy for HNSCC.
• Further research is warranted to validate these findings in larger cohorts.