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Review
. 2022 Oct 1;14(10):e875-e884.
doi: 10.4317/jced.59736. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Liquid biopsy in the assessment of microRNAs in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review

Gaspare Palaia  1 , Roberto Pippi  1 , Federica Rocchetti  1 , Martina Caputo  1 , Federica Macali  1 , Ahmed Mohsen  1 , Alessandro Del Vecchio  1 , Gianluca Tenore  1 , Umberto Romeo  1
Affiliations
Review

Liquid biopsy in the assessment of microRNAs in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review

Gaspare Palaia et al. J Clin Exp Dent. .

Abstract

Background: The identification of non-invasive biomarkers from biological fluids collected by liquid biopsy provides new horizons for individualized therapeutic strategies and improves clinical decision-making in OSCC patients. Circulating microRNAs have emerged as biomarkers that may reflect not only the existence of cancer, but also the dynamic, malignant potential, and drug resistance of tumors. The aim of the systematic review is to evaluate and summarize the results of the published studies regarding the use of microRNAs as biomarkers for OSCC.

Material and methods: A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases till November 2020. A total of 34 studies met the inclusion criteria and were therefore subjected to quality assessment. Each study was subjected to data extraction including; patient characteristics, type of fluid sample (whole blood, plasma, serum, or saliva), molecular analysis method, specific dysregulated microRNA, and microRNA expression pattern.

Results: The analysis showed that 57 microRNAs of liquid biopsy samples of four different fluids (whole blood, serum, plasma, and saliva) were analyzed. The prognostic and therapeutic significance of these microRNAs were suggested by several studies; where 41 microRNAs were upregulated while 16 were downregulated.

Conclusions: Scientific evidence supports the interest in the use of microRNAs in the diagnosis and prognosis in OSCC patients; however, further studies in a larger cohort of patients are mandatory to introduce liquid biopsy in the routine clinical practice for the OSCC management. Key words:Biomarkers, liquid biopsy, microRNA, oral squamous cell carcinoma, systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest All the authors have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram showing the articles included in the final analysis (34) that met the inclusion criteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The proportion of the studies of this review with a low, moderate, or high risk of bias across the different considered domains of the SIGN methodology checklist.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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