Modified Nucleosides - Molecular Markers Suitable for Small-volume Cancer?

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Oncology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Modified nucleosides (mNS) are promising cancer biomarkers, particularly for high-volume tumors like breast and lung cancer.
• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by early metastasis and slow growth, presenting challenges for biomarker detection.
• Urinary mNS patterns in HNSCC patients may be influenced by lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of urinary modified nucleosides (mNS) as biomarkers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
• To determine the sensitivity and specificity of mNS analysis in distinguishing HNSCC patients from healthy controls.
• To explore the relationship between tumor volume and the accuracy of mNS detection in HNSCC.

Main Methods:

• Quantification of urinary mNS in 93 therapy-naive HNSCC patients and 242 healthy controls using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.
• Calculation of the mNS-to-creatinine ratio to account for variations in diuresis and circadian rhythms.
• Utilized receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, logistic regression, and a multilayer perceptron neural network (NN) for discrimination analysis.

Main Results:

• Fifteen types of mNS were detected, with significant concentration differences observed for 11 mNS between HNSCC patients and controls.
• The accuracy of HNSCC detection was dependent on tumor volume, with reliable detection for tumors smaller than 20 ml.
• HNSCC tumors with a volume of 20 ml or greater yielded the most accurate detection based on specific mNS patterns.

Conclusions:

• Urinary mNS analysis can effectively detect small-volume HNSCC.
• The specificity and sensitivity of mNS detection are acceptable when the tumor volume exceeds 20 ml.
• mNS represent a potential non-invasive biomarker for early HNSCC detection.