Comparative miRNA expression profile analysis of squamous cell carcinoma and peritumoral mucosa from the meso- and hypopharynx

Abstract

Background/Aim: The role of microRNAs (miRNA) in carcinogenesis is related to their genomeregulatory function. The aim of the present study was to identify and compare miRNA expression signatures of meso- and hypopharynx squamous cell cancers in consideration of the cancer field hypothesis. Patients and Methods: Thirteen snap-frozen biopsy series of tumors and peritumoral tissues from the meso- and hypopharynx were analyzed regarding their miRNA expression with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: Significant miRNA expression changes of miR-21, -27a, -34a, -143 and -146a were found in peritumoral tissues that were dependent from the tumor location and the distance from the primary tumor site. Conclusion: miRNA expression analysis was found to be appropriate for molecular segregation of tumor location and peritumoral tissue segments, and appears to be a promising marker for cancer field characterization.