BACKGROUND: The overall 5-year survival rate of approximately 60% for head and neck cancer patients has remained essentially unchanged over the past 30 years. MicroRNA-137 (miR-137) plays an essential role in cell-cycle control at the G1/S-phase checkpoint. However, the aberrant miR-137 promoter methylation observed in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) suggests a tumor-specific molecular defect that may contribute to disease progression. METHODS: The goal of this study was to assess, in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue, the association between miR-137 promoter methylation and survival (both overall and disease free) and with prognostic factors including stage, tumor size, lymph node positivity, tumor grade, and surgical tumor margin positivity. RESULTS: The promoter methylation status of miR-137 was ascertained by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and detected in 11 of 67 SCCHN patients (16.4%), with no significant differences according to site (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx). Methylation of the miR-137 promoter was significantly associated with overall survival (hazard ratio, 3.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-13.38) but not with disease-free survival or any of the prognostic factors evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that miR-137 is methylated in tumor tissue from pharyngeal and laryngeal squamous cancers, in addition to oral squamous cell carcinoma, and that miR-137 promoter methylation has potential utility as a prognostic marker for SCCHN.
BACKGROUND: The overall 5-year survival rate of approximately 60% for head and neck cancerpatients has remained essentially unchanged over the past 30 years. MicroRNA-137 (miR-137) plays an essential role in cell-cycle control at the G1/S-phase checkpoint. However, the aberrant miR-137 promoter methylation observed in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) suggests a tumor-specific molecular defect that may contribute to disease progression. METHODS: The goal of this study was to assess, in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue, the association between miR-137 promoter methylation and survival (both overall and disease free) and with prognostic factors including stage, tumor size, lymph node positivity, tumor grade, and surgical tumor margin positivity. RESULTS: The promoter methylation status of miR-137 was ascertained by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and detected in 11 of 67 SCCHN patients (16.4%), with no significant differences according to site (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx). Methylation of the miR-137 promoter was significantly associated with overall survival (hazard ratio, 3.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-13.38) but not with disease-free survival or any of the prognostic factors evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that miR-137 is methylated in tumor tissue from pharyngeal and laryngeal squamous cancers, in addition to oral squamous cell carcinoma, and that miR-137 promoter methylation has potential utility as a prognostic marker for SCCHN.
Authors: Troels Schepeler; Jørgen T Reinert; Marie S Ostenfeld; Lise L Christensen; Asli N Silahtaroglu; Lars Dyrskjøt; Carsten Wiuf; Frank J Sørensen; Mogens Kruhøffer; Søren Laurberg; Sakari Kauppinen; Torben F Ørntoft; Claus L Andersen Journal: Cancer Res Date: 2008-08-01 Impact factor: 12.701
Authors: Erin Connolly; Margherita Melegari; Pablo Landgraf; Tatyana Tchaikovskaya; Bud C Tennant; Betty L Slagle; Leslie E Rogler; Mihaela Zavolan; Thomas Tuschl; Charles E Rogler Journal: Am J Pathol Date: 2008-08-07 Impact factor: 4.307
Authors: Joachim Silber; Daniel A Lim; Claudia Petritsch; Anders I Persson; Alika K Maunakea; Mamie Yu; Scott R Vandenberg; David G Ginzinger; C David James; Joseph F Costello; Gabriele Bergers; William A Weiss; Arturo Alvarez-Buylla; J Graeme Hodgson Journal: BMC Med Date: 2008-06-24 Impact factor: 8.775
Authors: Graham M Poage; Rondi A Butler; E Andrés Houseman; Michael D McClean; Heather H Nelson; Brock C Christensen; Carmen J Marsit; Karl T Kelsey Journal: Cancer Res Date: 2012-04-16 Impact factor: 12.701
Authors: Thomas Harris; Lizandra Jimenez; Nicole Kawachi; Jian-Bing Fan; Jing Chen; Tom Belbin; Andrew Ramnauth; Olivier Loudig; Christian E Keller; Richard Smith; Michael B Prystowsky; Nicolas F Schlecht; Jeffrey E Segall; Geoffrey Childs Journal: Am J Pathol Date: 2012-01-09 Impact factor: 4.307