Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a group of malignancies with serious impact on patient quality of life due to a reduced rate of response to chemotherapy or radiation therapy. MiR-21 has been identified as one of the most common proto-oncogenes. It is hypothesized that upregulated miR-21 could serve as a potential biomarker for human cancer diagnosis. Considering the target genes identified for miR-21 in HNSCC, this transcript is an important player in several cellular processes that control carcinogenesis. The abnormal expression of miR-21 in this group of pathologies has been assessed in several publications, but given the heterogeneity of the published results, a meta-analysis and proper bioinformatics analysis of expression databases are needed to correctly establish the prognostic potential of this molecule. The present meta-analysis comprises the published survival data on HNSCC patients, reported as HR and 95% CI, in association with the expression levels of miR-21. Our investigation revealed that miR-21 could be used successfully as a prognostic biomarker in HNSCC patients, confirming its oncogenic potential. Specifically, the upregulation of miR-21 in these patients predicts a worse outcome in terms of survival rate.

Centre for Molecular Medicine Central European Institute of Technology Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology The Oncology Institute Prof Dr Ion Chiricuta 400015 Cluj Napoca Romania

Department of Prosthetic dentistry and Dental materials Division Dental Propaedeutics Aesthetic Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy 400337 Cluj Napoca Romania

Department of Psychology Babes Bolyai University 400015 Cluj Napoca Romania

MEDFUTURE Research Center for Advanced Medicine Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy 400337 Cluj Napoca Romania

Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy 400337 Cluj Napoca Romania

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