THE STUDY OF PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF microRNAs (miR-10b AND -155) AND CDKN2A/P16INK4A IN ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA.

BACKGROUND Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. Disco- vering novel prognostic markers for OSCC can improve treatment outcomes by allowing for more effective therapy strategies. AIM To identify the prognostic value of CDKN2A (p16INK4a) and miRNAs involved in its regulation as markers of OSCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS The work is based on the results of the examination and treatment of 70 patients with stage II-IV OSCC. miR-10b, -155, and CDKN2A mRNA expression in tumor samples was ana- lyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The expression of p16INK4a and Ki-67 proteins was determined immunohistochemically. RESULTS No association of CDKN2A mRNA and p16INK4a protein with Ki-67 expression in tumor tissue and clinical pathological parameters of OSCC patients was found. Most of the p16INK4a-positive cases were characterized by a high Ki-67 expression. We found a strong correlation of the studied miRNAs expression levels with lymph node metastasis (r = 0.56 for miR-10b and r = 0.59 for miR-155). Also, there was no difference in miR-10b and -155 expression between p16INK4a+ and p16INK4a- samples. The association of both miRNAs with lymph node metastases was not affected by p16INK4a status. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate the relationship between miR-10b and -155 and the presence of lymph node metastases in OSCC patients, so these miRNAs can be considered as prognostic markers of the disease.