IGF2-H19 Locus Expression Profile and Biomarker Potential in Oral Cancer

IGF2-H19 locus is important for normal development and growth, and its deregulation has been implicated in various cancers, with conflicting data in oral cancer. IGF2 and H19 expression was analyzed in oral cancer (SCC-25, SCC-15) and normal keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell lines, as well as in cancer tissue and adjacent non-cancerous tissues from 55 patients with oral cancer. The expression of IGF2 and H19 was increased in oral cancer cell lines compared with control cell line. In clinical samples, expression of the IGF2-H19 locus and its associated hsa-miR-675-5p was significantly lower in cancer tissue compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissue. IGF2, H19, and hsa-miR-675-5p demonstrated moderate ability to discriminate between oral cancer and non-cancerous tissues, while the combined analysis of all three molecules improved diagnostic performance. Our results suggest that IGF2-H19 and hsa-miR-675-5p may have potential as molecular biomarkers for discriminating between oral cancer and non-cancerous tissue, but do not appear to have prognostic value.