Open Access

REVIEW

Differential mRNA expression in peripheral blood is associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma: Recent advances and future challenges

XIA MU^1,2,#, YUBING HU^3,#, DANDAN WU^1,#, HONGYU YANG^1,2,*

1 Department of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, China
2 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital Stomatology Center, Shenzhen, 518000, China
3 Department of Nursing, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China

* Corresponding Author: HONGYU YANG. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this study

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Recent Advancement in Cancer Molecular Signaling)

BIOCELL 2023, 47(7), 1449-1458. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2023.026704

Received 21 September 2022; Accepted 16 January 2023; Issue published 21 June 2023

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignant tumor triggered by the accumulation of multiple gene mutations in oral epithelial cells. Different OSCC-related biomarkers have been reported in circulation in the peripheral blood that support the occurrence and development of OSCC. Recent advances in high-throughput and highly sensitive detection methods have overcome the limitation of the low concentration of most peripheral blood biomarkers. Hence, blood biomarker detection has become an efficient screening tool for the early diagnosis of OSCC. The growing data available in public cancer and gene databases have provided new foundations for OSCC research. In particular, the identification of OSCC biomarkers using bioinformatic tools has shed new light on the underlying mechanisms as well as on the genetic landscape of OSCC. More recently, mRNA targeting therapies have emerged as valuable anticancer treatment strategies, as they allow for the regulation of the expression of certain functional proteins to reverse genetic abnormalities or induce tissue repair. Thus, mRNA-targeting therapies can be used to regulate the expression of antigens, antibodies, or cellular receptors by immune cells. Particularly, anti-cancer cellular immunotherapy carrying specific mRNAs has attracted significant attention in OSCC treatment. Here, we review the present knowledge on the role of peripheral blood mRNAs in the diagnosis, treatment, development, and prognosis of OSCC. Moreover, we address future research prospects of mRNAs in the peripheral blood in OSCC and the opportunities and challenges that may arise in future clinical therapeutic applications.

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