MicroRNA-21 Expression as a Prognostic Biomarker in Oral Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Oral carcinoma represents one of the main carcinomas of the head and neck region, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 50%. Smoking and tobacco use are recognized risk factors. Prognostic survival biomarkers can be a valid tool for assessing a patient’s life expectancy and directing therapy towards specific targets. Among the biomarkers, the alteration of miR-21 expression in tumor tissues is increasingly reported as a valid prognostic biomarker of survival for oral cancer. The purpose of this meta-analysis was, therefore, to investigate and summarize the results in the literature concerning the potential prognostic expression of tissue miR-21 in patients with OSCC. Methods: The systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines using electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with the use of combinations of keywords, such as miR-21 AND oral cancer, microRNA AND oral cancer, and miR-21. The meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.41 software. Results: At the end of the article-selection process, 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis, and the result for the main outcome was a pooled HR per overall survival (OS) of 1.29 (1.16–1.44) between high and low expression of miR-21. Conclusions: The data in the literature and the results emerging from the systematic review indicate that miR-21 can provide a prognostic indication in oral cancer.

Salivary exosomal miR-1307-5p predicts disease aggressiveness and poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

“…Several reports suggested that enhanced expression of miR-21 is associated with the poor overall survival rate in OSCC patients (13, 14). Hence to ascertain whether miR-1307-5p exhibited potential as a prognosticator, we conducted survival analysis of miR-21-5p with miR-1307-5p using their normalised expression value from TCGA datasets and literature survey (205 OSCC patients).…”

Guided Dental Implant Surgery: Systematic Review

“…The systematic review protocol has been registered on the INPLASY platform with registration number INPLASY2022110098 and DOI number 10.37766/inplasy2022.11.0098. The review was conducted following the guidelines of the Cochrane handbook, and the writing of the manuscript followed the indications of the PRISMA [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Is the Non-Coding RNA miR-195 a Biodynamic Marker in the Pathogenesis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma? A Prognostic Meta-Analysis

“…Many miR have shown prognostic survival capabilities with potential as a biomarker. In the head and neck area, the main miR associated with a potential biomarker is miR-21 [ 18 ], which would be upregulated in tumor tissues whose overexpression is potentially associated with a worsening of prognosis; similarly, other upregulated miRs have also been investigated, and among these, the miR-31 [ 19 ] and miR-155 [ 20 ], among the downregulated miRs, the focus has mainly on the Let-7 microRNA family. Recently, some interesting studies have turned toward miR-195, which would be downregulated in the tissues of many cancers including bladder cancer, breast, stomach, lung, bone, and liver.…”