Eurasian Journal of Chemical, Medicinal and Petroleum Research

Abstract Introduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a biologically aggressive malignancy in which molecular alterations may extend beyond visible tumor tissue into surgical margins. Long non-coding RNAs, particularly LNC-NORAD, may influence genomic stability, stress responses, and tumor progression. This study aimed to assess LNC-NORAD expression changes in tumor and surgical margin samples of OSCC.

Material and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2024. Using convenience sampling, 100 specimens comprising 50 oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues and 50 matched healthy surgical margins were collected from 50 patients. LNC-NORAD expression was quantified by real-time PCR and evaluated alongside age, sex, smoking status, tumor site and size, histological grade, invasion characteristics, TNM stage, lymph node involvement, and margin status.

Results: LNC-NORAD expression was significantly higher in OSCC tumor tissues than in matched healthy surgical margins (3.18 ± 1.07 vs. 1.24 ± 0.43; P<0.001). Increased tumoral expression was associated with smoking, larger tumor size, poorer histological differentiation, deeper invasion, perineural invasion, advanced TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. By contrast, no significant associations were observed with sex, anatomical tumor site, or lymphovascular invasion.

Conclusion: LNC-NORAD is markedly upregulated in OSCC tissues compared with matched surgical margins and is closely associated with several indicators of tumor aggressiveness. These findings suggest that this long non-coding RNA may serve as a useful molecular marker for identifying biologically advanced and clinically high-risk oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract Introduction: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma remains a major clinical challenge, and conventional margin assessment may overlook molecular alterations associated with residual disease and field cancerization. DUSP1, a regulator of MAPK signaling, may contribute to tumor behavior. This study aimed to assess DUSP1 expression levels in tumor and surgical margin samples of LSCC.

Material and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences on 50 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, selected through convenience sampling based on the Cochran formula for single-group studies. DUSP1 expression was measured in paired tumor and surgical margin samples, alongside demographic, clinical, and pathological variables, including age, sex, smoking status, tumor site, grade, TNM stage, lymph node involvement, and margin status.

Results: In this study of 50 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, mean DUSP1 expression was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in paired surgical margins (2.73 ± 0.68 vs. 1.41 ± 0.37; P=0.001). Tumoral DUSP1 expression was also greater in smokers, poorly differentiated tumors, advanced-stage disease, node-positive cases, and positive surgical margins, indicating a consistent association between elevated DUSP1 levels and more aggressive clinicopathological characteristics.

Conclusion: DUSP1 was significantly overexpressed in LSCC tumor tissue compared with surgical margins and was associated with adverse clinicopathological features. These findings suggest that DUSP1 may serve as a promising molecular indicator of tumor aggressiveness and local disease extension.