title: Modern molecular biomarkers of head and neck cancer. Part I. Epigenetic diagnostics and prognostics: Systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nearly half of the head and neck cancer cases are diagnosed in late stages. Traditional screening modalities have many disadvantages. The aim of the present article was to review the scientific literature about novel head and neck cancer diagnostics - epigenetic biomarkers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive review of the current literature was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines by accessing the NCBI PubMed database. Authors conducted the search of articles in English language published from 2004 to 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of thirty three relevant studies were included in the review. Fifteen of them concerned DNA methylation alterations, nine evaluation of abundancies in histone expressions and nine miRNA expression changes in HNC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considerable number of epigenetic biomarkers have been identified in both tumor tissue and salivary samples. Genes with best diagnostic effectiveness rates and further studying prospects were: TIMP3, DCC, DAPK, CDH1, CCNA1, AIM1, MGMT, HIC1, PAX1, PAX5, ZIC4, p16, EDNRB, KIF1A, MINT31, CD44, RARβ , ECAD. Individual histone and miRNA alterations tend to be hnc specific. Prognostic values of separate biomarkers are ambiguous. No established standards for molecular assay of head and neck cancer was found in order to elude the paradoxical results and discrepancies in separate trials.
authors: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Gintaras
authors: G
authors: Juodzbalys
authors: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Kasradze
authors: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences, Morphological and Functional Images, School of Dentistry University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Cicciù
authors: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Aurimas
authors: A
authors: Sudeikis
authors: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Laurynas
authors: L
authors: Banys
authors: Oral Surgery and Implant Dentistry Department, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.|Periodontics and Oral Medicine at University of Michigan, MI, USA.
authors: Pablo
authors: P
authors: Galindo-Moreno
authors: Department of Dental and Oral Diseases, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors: Zygimantas
authors: Z
authors: Guobis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: DNA methylation; Head and neck cancer; head and neck cancer histone; head and neck cancer miRNA