MIR137/MIR2682 locus is associated with perineural invasiveness in head and neck cancer

Background Head and neck cancer (HNSCC) is one of the most lethal cancers characterized by high relapse and poor prognosis. Several miRNAs have been implicated in HNSCC, including the tumor suppressor miR‐137. A large CpG island (CpG73) spans most of the miR‐137 gene sequence and stretches 659‐bp downstream, ending just upstream of miR‐2682 in the same host gene. Here, we assessed the role of the MIR137/MIR2682 locus in HNSCC. Methods MiRNA expression was analyzed in paired cancerous and normal tissues from 77 HNSCC patients by Quantitative Reverse‐Transcription PCR. CpG73 methylation in paired tissues from 48 patients was determined by combined bisulfite restriction analysis. Associations between expression and methylation levels and patient clinicopathological parameters were investigated. Results Decreased expression of miR‐137 (P