Circulating microRNAs as prognostic therapy biomarkers in head and neck cancer patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The prediction of therapy response in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) requires biomarkers, which are also a prerequisite for personalised therapy concepts. The current study aimed to identify therapy-responsive microRNAs (miRNAs) in the circulation that can serve as minimally invasive prognostic markers for HNSCC patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Methods

We screened plasma miRNAs in a discovery cohort of HNSCC patients before therapy and after treatment. We further compared the plasma miRNAs of the patients to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All miRNAs identified as biomarker candidates were then confirmed in an independent validation cohort of HNSCC patients and tested for correlation with the clinical outcome.

Results

We identified a sig

SUBMITTER: Summerer I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4647540 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature