PDGFRA mRNA is overexpressed in oral cancer patients as compared to normal subjects with a significant trend of overexpression among tobacco users.
BACKGROUND
Platelet-derived growth factors alpha (PDGFA) is a tyrosine kinase receptor activator which is known to be amplified in the malignancies, and their expression levels are correlated to tumor progression and reduced overall survival. The expression of PDGFRA is different among the tumors and normal tissues; furthermore, their expression level is site specific. Under a physiological condition, PDGFRA and its ligand are expressed in distinct cell populations and activated in a paracrine manner. Nevertheless, heterodimer characteristic of PDGFRA allows it to be trans-activated by non-specific ligands or via autocrine manner. The future of cancer therapy can be based on PDGFRA receptor blockade and therefore warrants further investigation to determine the differing expression of PDGFRA between controls and patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).


METHODS
We performed a case-control study of 111 patients with newly diagnosed tongue squamous cell carcinoma and 111 control subjects without a cancer diagnosis, matched for age and gender, to evaluate the association between PDGFRA expression levels in oral mucosa. We then performed smoking stratification in each cohort. Independent t test analysis was applied for case-control comparisons.


RESULTS
Mean value of PDGFRA mRNA level (-ΔCt) for normal cohort is -30.242, whereas mean value of PDGFRA mRNA level for patients with OSCC is -11.516. PDGFRA mRNA level (-ΔCt) was significantly higher in oral cancer cohort, P<.001. Smokers have a significantly higher PDGFRA mRNA expression in comparison with non-smokers (P=.002) among the non-cancer group. Likewise, this trend is observed in cancer cohort too, P=.044.


CONCLUSIONS
PDGFRA expression is significantly higher in oral cancer cohort with or without the establishment of tobacco risk factor.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head & Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Hui Shan
HS
Ong
Head & Neck Oncology Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, Krishna Institute of Medical Science, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Sandhya
S
Gokavarapu
Department of Oral Pathology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Zhen
Z
Tian
Department of Oral Pathology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Jiang
J
Li
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head & Neck Oncology and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Qin
Q
Xu
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head & Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Wei
W
Cao
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head & Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Chen Ping
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4976-3637
CP
Zhang
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism
D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C075278:platelet-derived growth factor A
PDGFRA; mRNA; normal mucosal; oral cancer; squamous cell carcinoma; tobacco