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Published on: October 26, 2017
miR-449a: A Novel Biomarker for Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment Response in Locally Advanced Laryngeal Squamous
Amal F Gharib1, Ohud Alsalmi1, Hayaa M Alhuthali1
1Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia.
Background:
Locally advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LA-LSCC) presents clinical challenges due to the lack of reliable non-invasive biomarkers. This study aimed to evaluate miR-449a as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in LA-LSCC. Methods: miR-449a expression was analyzed in tumor tissues, adjacent normal tissues, and serum from 81 LA-LSCC patients and 50 controls using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We assessed the diagnostic accuracy by Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC curves), clinicopathological associations, survival outcomes (Kaplan-Meier), and treatment response dynamics.
Results:
miR-449a was significantly downregulated in LA-LSCC tissues (p < 0.0001) and serum (p < 0.0001), with a strong tissue-serum correlation (R2 = 0.988). Tissue miR-449a demonstrated a diagnostic accuracy (Area Under the Curve, AUC = 0.857), while serum showed moderate accuracy (AUC = 0.734). High miR-449a expression correlated with favorable clinicopathological features and improved survival (median overall survival: 67.82 vs. 23.74 months; p = 0.0012). Multivariate analysis confirmed miR-449a as an independent prognostic factor (p < 0.001). miR-449a levels increased post-treatment, particularly in responders to chemotherapy/radiation (p < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
miR-449a serves as a non-invasive biomarker for LA-LSCC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring. Its dynamic expression highlights potential for risk stratification and therapy response prediction, warranting further validation in larger cohorts.
