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Background: Recent studies have shown aberrant expression of micro-RNAs in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). This study aimed to investigate miR-138 dysregulation in CAFs in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its effects on their phenotype and invasion of adjacent OSCC cells., Methods: Expression of miR-138 was first investigated in OSCC lesions ( n = 53) and OSCC-derived CAFs ( n = 15). MiR-138 mimics and inhibitors were used to functionally investigate the role of miR-138 on CAF phenotype and the resulting change in their ability to support OSCC invasion., Results: Expression of miR-138 showed marked heterogeneity in both OSCC tissues and cultured fibroblasts. Ectopic miR-138 expression reduced fibroblasts' motility and collagen contraction ability and suppressed invasion of suprajacent OSCC cells, while its inhibition resulted in the opposite outcome. Transcript and protein examination after modulation of miR-138 expression showed changes in CAF phenotype-specific molecules, focal adhesion kinase axis, and TGFβ1 signaling pathway., Conclusions: Despite its heterogeneous expression, miR-138 in OSCC-derived CAFs exhibits a tumor-suppressive function., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Rajthala, Parajuli, Dongre, Ljøkjel, Hoven, Kvalheim, Lybak, Neppelberg, Sapkota, Johannessen and Costea.)

Background: Knowledge on the role of miR changes in tumor stroma for cancer progression is limited. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR dysregulation in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methodology: CAF and normal oral fibroblasts (NOFs) were isolated from biopsies of OSCC patients and healthy individuals after informed consent and grown in 3D collagen gels. Total RNA was extracted. Global miR expression was profiled using Illumina version 2 panels. The functional impact of altered miR-204 expression in fibroblasts on their phenotype and molecular profile was investigated using mimics and inhibitors of miR-204. Further, the impact of miR-204 expression in fibroblasts on invasion of adjacent OSCC cells was assessed in 3D-organotypic co-cultures. Results: Unsupervised hierarchical clustering for global miR expression resulted in separate clusters for CAF and NOF. SAM analysis identified differential expression of twelve miRs between CAF and NOF. Modulation of miR-204 expression did not affect fibroblast cell proliferation, but resulted in changes in the motility phenotype, expression of various motility-related molecules, and invasion of the adjacent OSCC cells. 3' UTR miR target reporter assay showed ITGA11 to be a direct target of miR-204. Conclusions: This study identifies differentially expressed miRs in stromal fibroblasts of OSCC lesions compared with normal oral mucosa and it reveals that one of the significantly downregulated miRs in CAF, miR-204, has a tumor-suppressive function through inhibition of fibroblast migration by modulating the expression of several different molecules in addition to directly targeting ITGA11.

We changed the primary oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treatment recommendation from primary radiation therapy (RT) to tumor surgery and neck dissection, followed by RT around the year 2000 with apparently improved survival. However, high-risk human papilloma virus (hr-HPV)-16-caused OPSCCs have increased during this period. Furthermore, hr-HPV+ OPSCC carry a better prognosis than hr-HPV-negative patients. We have, therefore, evaluated the 5-year survival in the period from 1992 to 1999 versus 2000 to 2008 stratified by hr-HPV tumor infection status. Ninety-six OPSCC patients were treated from 1992 to 1999 compared with 136 patients from 2000 to 2008. The 5-year disease-specific survival (DDS) and overall survival (OS) were recorded, while the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores were obtained from some of the cured patients. Thirty-eight (40 %) in the first period and 86 OPSCCs (63 %) in the second period were hr-HPV+. In the first period, 16 versus 62 patients in the last period were treated by neck dissection, primary tumor surgery, and RT. DSS among all the hr-HPV-negative patients in the first period was 51 versus 55 % in the second period, and the corresponding OS was 33 versus 31 %, respectively. The DSS among all the hr-HPV+ patients was 78 % in the first period versus 77 % in the second period, while the OS was 71 versus 69 %, respectively. The HRQoL scores among successfully treated patients were worse following surgery, plus RT than RT only. The hr-HPV-adjusted 5-year survival in OPSCC patients was similar between the two time periods. A decreased HRQoL was associated with surgical therapy, which indicates that hr-HPV+ OPSCC patients may be treated by primary RT followed by major surgery only if RT treatment fails.

Conclusions: Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive tumours had better 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) than HPV-negative patients. TNM score only predicted prognosis among HPV-negative patients. A previous history of smoking and age at diagnosis predicted DSS among HPV-positive patients whereas operability at diagnosis predicted DSS among both HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients., Objectives: HPV is a risk factor for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The extent to which smoking, age and operability could play a role in HPV-positive surgically treated head and neck SCCs has not been extensively addressed previously and this study aimed to evaluate these factors., Methods: We identified 232 patients with OPSCC, of which 186 from the tonsil or base of the tongue region were treated in the period 1992-2008 in Western Norway. The 5-year DSS was recorded. Details on smoking history and whether the lesion was operable or not, as well as clinical information, were obtained retrospectively from the hospital records., Results: TNM stage predicted survival only among HPV-negative patients. A previous smoking affected prognosis only among HPV-positive patients (relative risk (RR) = 2.5; confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-6.2; p = 0.05). Increasing age of the patient had a negative effect on survival in HPV-positive patients only, especially among the oldest quartile (RR = 4.4; CI = 2.0-9.0; p < 0.001). Whether the tumour was operable or not uniquely predicted DSS both among HPV-positive (RR = 0.34; CI = 0.13-0.93; p < 0.05) and HPV-negative (RR = 0.25; CI = 0.10-0.66; p < 0.01) patients with tonsil/base of the tongue SCC.

Conclusions: We determined that 55% of the patients with oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) had human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive tumors. We demonstrated that HPV-positive patients had better 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) than the HPV-negative counterparts. This was also primarily true for cancers originating in the tonsil or base of the tongue with T3 and/or N2 tumors., Objective: Urogenital high risk (hr) HPV is an important risk factor, and probably causative agent, for OPSCC. The study investigated these factors., Methods: We identified 232 patients with OPSCC, of which 186 lesions were from the tonsil or base of the tongue region, treated in the period 1992-2008 in Western Norway. Five-year DSS was recorded for all patients., Results: In all, 124 of 226 patients had HPV-positive tumors. All except five HPV-positive patients had HPV-16-positive tumors; 69% of the patients with tonsil or base of the tongue SCC had HPV-positive tumors, whereas 14% of remaining OPSCC patients had HPV-positive tumors. Five-year DSS with HPV-positive tumor was 77% compared with 53% with an HPV-negative tumor (p < 0.001), also valid with adjustment for age, gender, and TNM stage, but primarily determined with patients with the specific tumor sites tonsils and base of the tongue with TNM stages T3 or N2.