[Research progress of RNA therapy in oral squamous cell carcinoma]

Accounting for more than 90% of oral malignancies, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is recognized as the predominant histological subtype of oral cancer. The overall five-year survival rate of patients with advanced OSCC remains unsatisfactory.With the rapid advancement of transcriptomics, molecular biology, and nucleic acid delivery technologies, increasing attention has been directed toward RNA-based therapeutics as a promising approach for OSCC treatment, owing to their capacity for precise regulation of oncogenes, signaling pathways, and the tumor microenvironment. Included among the major forms of RNA therapeutics are small interfering RNA, micro RNA, messenger RNA, long non-coding RNA, and circular RNA. By modulating oncogenes, tumor microenvironment-related factors, and signaling pathways associated with therapeutic resistance, suppression of tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis can be achieved, while apoptosis induction and the enhancement of chemo-radiotherapeutic sensitivity may also be promoted.Considerable potential has therefore been demonstrated by RNA therapeutics in the treatment of OSCC. Nevertheless, multiple obstacles continue to hinder their clinical translation, among which insufficient in vivo stability, limited delivery efficiency, off-target effects, and the specific oral environment are particularly prominent. In this review, the theoretical basis of RNA therapy, recent advances in its application to OSCC, RNA delivery systems, and the current challenges faced are comprehensively summarized, with the aim of providing references for future research on precision therapy for OSCC.