METHOD FOR DETECTING METASTATIC CELLS IN LYMPH NODES OF HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA PATIENTS, AND USE OF MICRORNAS AS MARKERS

摘要

The present invention is directed to a test for diagnosing cervical metastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients by evaluating the level of expression of the micro-RNAs miR-203 and miR-205. The test can be applied to samples collected using various methods at different points in time, for example during pre-treatment, for diagnosing using fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), in the intra-operative period through sentinel lymph node biopsy and after surgery, as an auxiliary tool of histopathological evaluation of lymph nodes resected during surgery, assisting in the choice of treatment of such patients from the initial treatment to adjuvant therapy.