@article{3090205,
    title = "L-DOPA decarboxylase mRNA expression is associated with tumor stage and size in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study",
    author = "Geomela, P.-A. and Kontos, C.K. and Yiotakis, I. and Fragoulis, E.G. and Scorilas, A.",
    journal = "BMC Cancer",
    year = "2012",
    volume = "12",
    issn = "1471-2407",
    doi = "10.1186/1471-2407-12-484",
    keywords = "aromatic levo amino acid decarboxylase;  messenger RNA;  single stranded DNA;  tumor marker, adult;  aged;  article;  cancer classification;  cancer growth;  cancer prognosis;  cancer staging;  cancer surgery;  cheek mucosa;  cohort analysis;  DDC gene;  early cancer;  gapdh gene;  gene;  gene expression;  gene function;  genetic analysis;  genetic association;  head and neck squamous cell carcinoma;  human;  human tissue;  larynx;  larynx squamous cell carcinoma;  larynx tumor;  molecular mechanics;  nose cavity;  nucleotide sequence;  parotid gland;  pharynx;  quantitative analysis;  retrospective study;  RNA isolation;  RNA metabolism;  tissue homogenate;  tongue;  tongue carcinoma;  tongue tumor;  tumor volume, Adult;  Aged;  Aged, 80 and over;  Carcinoma, Squamous Cell;  Dopa Decarboxylase;  Head and Neck Neoplasms;  Humans;  Middle Aged;  Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction;  Reproducibility of Results;  Retrospective Studies;  RNA, Messenger;  Statistics, Nonparametric;  Tumor Markers, Biological",
    abstract = "Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies worldwide. The DDC gene encodes L-DOPA decarboxylase, an enzyme catalyzing the decarboxylation of L-DOPA to dopamine. We have recently shown that DDC mRNA is a significant predictor of patients' prognosis in colorectal adenocarcinoma and prostate cancer. The aim of the current study was to analyze the DDC mRNA expression in HNSCC patients.Methods: 53 malignant tumors were resected from the larynx, pharynx, tongue, buccal mucosa, parotid glands, and nasal cavity, as well as from 34 adjacent non-cancerous tissues of HNSCC patients, and were homogenized. Total RNA was isolated and converted into first-strand cDNA. An ultrasensitive real-time PCR method based on the SYBR Green chemistry was used for DDC mRNA quantification in head and neck tissue specimens. Relative quantification was performed using the comparative Ct (2-ddCt) method.Results: DDC mRNA levels were lower in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the larynx and tongue than in adjacent non-cancerous tissue specimens. Furthermore, low DDC mRNA expression was noticed in laryngeal and tongue tumors of advanced TNM stage or bigger size, compared to early-stage or smaller tumors, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between SCCs resected from pharynx, buccal mucosa, or nasal cavity, and their normal counterparts.Conclusion: This is the first study examining the DDC mRNA expression in HNSCC. According to our results, DDC mRNA expression may constitute a potential prognostic biomarker in tongue and/or larynx SCCs, which principally represent the overwhelming majority of HNSCC cases. © 2012 Geomela et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd."
}