Discovery and initial validation of biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of laryngeal cancer using a blood-based microRNA

Laryngeal cancer (LC) is a common head and neck malignancy for which early detection and disease monitoring remain clinically important. We sought to identify and validate microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential non-invasive biomarkers for LC. Candidate miRNAs were screened through differential expression analyses of publicly available cancer transcriptome datasets and subsequently validated by quantitative RT-PCR in tumor tissues and serum samples from patients with LC and healthy controls. We identified 12 differentially expressed miRNAs, including 11 upregulated and 1 downregulated miRNA. Tissue validation confirmed significant upregulation of six miRNAs, namely miR-196a-5p, miR-196b-5p, miR-301a-5p, miR-424-5p, miR-503-5p, and miR-615-3p. Among these, serum miR-196a-5p was significantly elevated in patients with LC. In paired samples, serum miR-196a-5p levels decreased after treatment, whereas two recurrent cases showed re-elevation at recurrence, suggesting that serial changes in miR-196a-5p may reflect disease status. Higher miR-196a-5p expression was associated with more advanced TNM and clinical stage and with worse survival. Receiver operating characteristic analysis further supported its diagnostic potential in both tissue and serum. These findings identify miR-196a-5p as a candidate non-invasive biomarker for the early diagnosis and post-treatment monitoring of LC.