A case-control study on the combined effects of p53 and p73 polymorphisms on head and neck cancer risk in an Italian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study is to analyze the combined effects of selected <it>p</it>53 and <it>p</it>73 polymorphisms and their interaction with lifestyle habits on squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) risk and progression in an Italian population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two hundred and eighty-three cases and 295 hospital controls were genotyped for <it>p</it>53 polymorphisms on exon 4 (Arg72Pro), intron 3 and 6, and <it>p</it>73 G4C14-to-A4T14. Their association with SCCHN was estimated using a logistic regression analysis, while a multinomial logistic regression approach was applied to calculate the effect of the selected polymorphisms on SCCHN different sites (oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx). We performed an haplotype analysis of the <it>p</it>53 polymorphisms, and a gene-gene interaction analysis for the combined effects of <it>p</it>73 G4C14-to-A4T14 and <it>p</it>53 polymorphisms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found a significant increased risk of SCCHN among individuals with combined <it>p</it>73 exon 2 G4A and <it>p</it>53 intron 3 variant alleles (OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.08–4.56), and a protective effect for those carrying the <it>p</it>53 exon 4-<it>p</it>53 intron 6 diplotype combination (OR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47–0.92). From the gene-environment interaction analysis we found that individuals aged < 45 years carrying <it>p</it>73 exon 2 G4A variant allele have a 12.85-increased risk of SCCHN (95% CI: 2.10–78.74) compared with persons of the same age with the homozygous wild type genotype. Improved survival rate was observed among <it>p</it>53 intron 6 variant allele carriers (Hazard Ratio = 0.51 (95% CI: 0.23–1.16).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study provides for the first time evidence that individuals carrying <it>p</it>53 exon 4 and <it>p</it>53 intron 6 variant alleles are significantly protected against SCCHN, and also shows that an additional risk is conferred by the combination of <it>p</it>73 exon 2 G4C14-to-A4T14 and <it>p</it>53 intron 3 variant allele. Larger studies are required to confirm these findings.</p

Plasma miR-151-3p as a Candidate Diagnostic Biomarker for Head and Neck Cancer: A Cross-sectional Study within the INHANCE Consortium

Background: Identification of screening tests for the detection of head and neck cancer (HNC) at an early stage is an important strategy to improving prognosis. Our objective was to identify plasma circulating miRNAs for the diagnosis of HNC (oral and laryngeal subsites), within a multicenter International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. Methods: A high-throughput screening phase with 754 miRNAs was performed in plasma samples of 88 cases and 88 controls, followed by a validation phase of the differentially expressed miRNAs, identified in the screening, in samples of 396 cases and 396 controls. Comparison of the fold changes (FC) was carried out using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the Dunn multiple comparison test. Results: We identified miR-151-3p (FC = 1.73, P = 0.007) as differentially expressed miRNAs in the screening and validation phase. The miR-151-3p was the only overexpressed miRNA in validation sample of patients with HNC with early stage at diagnosis (FC = 1.81, P = 0.008) and it was confirmed upregulated both in smoker early-stage cases (FC = 3.52, P = 0.024) and in nonsmoker early-stage cases (FC = 1.60, P = 0.025) compared with controls. Conclusions: We identified miR-151-3p as an early marker of HNC. This miRNA was the only upregulated in patients at early stages of the disease, independently of the smoking status. Impact: The prognosis for HNC is still poor. The discovery of a new diagnostic biomarker could lead to an earlier tumor discovery and therefore to an improvement in patient prognosis

Plasma miR-151-3p as a candidate diagnostic biomarker for head and neck cancer: a cross-sectional study within the INHANCE consortium

Identification of screening tests for the detection of head and neck cancer at an early stage is an important strategy to improving prognosis. Our objective was to identify plasma circulating microRNAs for the diagnosis of head and neck cancer (oral and laryngeal subsites), within a multicenter International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium

Quality Assessment of Studies Published in Open Access and Subscription Journals: Results of a Systematic Evaluation.

INTRODUCTION:Along with the proliferation of Open Access (OA) publishing, the interest for comparing the scientific quality of studies published in OA journals versus subscription journals has also increased. With our study we aimed to compare the methodological quality and the quality of reporting of primary epidemiological studies and systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in OA and non-OA journals. METHODS:In order to identify the studies to appraise, we listed all OA and non-OA journals which published in 2013 at least one primary epidemiologic study (case-control or cohort study design), and at least one systematic review or meta-analysis in the field of oncology. For the appraisal, we picked up the first studies published in 2013 with case-control or cohort study design from OA journals (Group A; n = 12), and in the same time period from non-OA journals (Group B; n = 26); the first systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in 2013 from OA journals (Group C; n = 15), and in the same time period from non-OA journals (Group D; n = 32). We evaluated the methodological quality of studies by assessing the compliance of case-control and cohort studies to Newcastle and Ottawa Scale (NOS) scale, and the compliance of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) scale. The quality of reporting was assessed considering the adherence of case-control and cohort studies to STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist, and the adherence of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. RESULTS:Among case-control and cohort studies published in OA and non-OA journals, we did not observe significant differences in the median value of NOS score (Group A: 7 (IQR 7-8) versus Group B: 8 (7-9); p = 0.5) and in the adherence to STROBE checklist (Group A, 75% versus Group B, 80%; p = 0.1). The results did not change after adjustment for impact factor. The compliance with AMSTAR and adherence to PRISMA checklist were comparable between systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in OA and non-OA journals (Group C, 46.0% versus Group D, 55.0%; p = 0.06), (Group C, 72.0% versus Group D, 76.0%; p = 0.1), respectively). CONCLUSION:The epidemiological studies published in OA journals in the field of oncology approach the same methodological quality and quality of reporting as studies published in non-OA journals

Assessment of the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in OA and non-OA journals using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews Scale (AMSTAR).

<p>Assessment of the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in OA and non-OA journals using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews Scale (AMSTAR).</p

Proportion of adequate reporting according to the STROBE checklist of the case-control and cohort studies published in OA and non-OA journals using the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).

<p>Proportion of adequate reporting according to the STROBE checklist of the case-control and cohort studies published in OA and non-OA journals using the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).</p

Characteristics of the 85 studies evaluated published in oncology journals in 2013.

<p>Characteristics of the 85 studies evaluated published in oncology journals in 2013.</p

The search strategy and identification process of oncology journals and appraised studies.

<p>The search strategy and identification process of oncology journals and appraised studies.</p

Assessment of the methodological quality of case-control and cohort studies published in OA and non-OA journals using the Newcastle and Ottawa Scale (NOS).

<p>Assessment of the methodological quality of case-control and cohort studies published in OA and non-OA journals using the Newcastle and Ottawa Scale (NOS).</p