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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Endoscopic Cholesteatoma Surgery
Published on: January 19, 2022
Endotyping of Cholesteatoma: Which Molecular Biomarkers? A Systematic Review
Elena Cantone1,2, Claudio Di Nola1,2, Eugenio De Corso3
1Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences-ENT Section, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Background:
So far, no medical treatment is available for cholesteatoma (C) and the only effective therapy is complete surgical removal, but recurrence is common even after surgical treatment. While C is classically divided into two clinical phenotypes, congenital and acquired, only a few studies have focused on its potential biomarkers. This study aims to revise the literature to identify which biomarkers can define the endotype of C.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) process to identify published experimental articles about molecular biomarkers in C.
Results:
KGF and its receptor, MMP-9, KRT-1, KRT-10, and MIF might be considered biomarkers of recurrence, whereas Ki-67, TLR-4, RANKL, IL17, MMP-2, MMP-9, IL6, TNF-α, should be considered more specifically as biomarkers of bony erosion.
Conclusions:
These results are interesting especially from a prognostic point of view, nevertheless more studies are needed to search new biomarkers of C that could completely change not only the therapeutic standards of the disease, but also the clinical history of C itself in the era of precision medicine.
