microRNAs are important players in head and neck carcinoma: a review

Abstract

The results of treatment of head and neck tumors remain poor for decades. It means that after surgery, chemotherapy is not a proper choice, as tumors of this region are relatively resistant to cytotoxic drugs. A little progress was noted only for radiotherapy outcome. Consequently, clinicians and researchers' expectations are focused on targeted therapy, where microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) seem to be the most promising target. After the year 2000, miRNAs became new players on the scene of cancer science. Since then, extensive investigations have been performed with a hope of finding a new prognostic and diagnostic tool and bridging them with a bright new way of understanding the basis of molecular carcinogenesis. miRNAs display astonishing specificity and thus are associated with pathoclinical parameters of the disease. After more than a decade of ongoing studies, in this review we attempt to summarize the current knowledge of miRNAs in malignancies arising in head and neck sites and with a majority of squamous cells of the epithelium.

Keywords: DNA methylation; Expression; Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); Prognostic markers; Review; miRNA.