Dados do Trabalho

Título

Molecular classification of the metastatic potential of head and neck paragangliomas

Introdução

Paragangliomas (PGLs) are a rare type of neuroendocrine neoplasm that account for up to 0.5% of all head and neck tumors. Head and neck paragangliomas originate in extra-adrenal paraganglia and rarely have endocrine activity. The most common type of PGL is the carotid body, which originates at the bifurcation of the carotid artery and corresponds to up to 75% of cases. They are mostly benign neoplasms and about 10% are reported as malignant. However, there are no biomarkers that can predict malignant behavior in primary tumors.

Objetivo

Determination of a discriminating proteomic profile between benign and malignant PGLs through mass spectrometry and comparison of these profiles generated with clinical, demographic and pathological characteristics of the patients.

Métodos

Thirty paraffin samples were selected from the archives of the Anatomic Pathology department of the A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, with 15 samples of malignant PGLs and 15 of benign PGLs, from patients who underwent surgery between the years 2000-2020. These samples will go through a deparaffinization process and then the proteins contained in the samples will be isolated and digested. Then, the samples will be analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer, generating values of mass/charge and retention time. The data generated by the analysis will then be processed using MaxQuant software through the revised Human UniProt database for relative quantification and protein identification. A statistical analysis will also be performed comparing the proteomic profile generated with the clinical, demographic and pathological characteristics of the patients through the chi-square test, using the SPSS software. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (protocol number 2837/20).

Resultados

Delimitation of a discriminating proteomic profile between samples of benign and malignant PGLs that can determine a potential biomarker so that it is possible to identify a potential for malignancy in primary tumors to facilitate the diagnosis of patients and enable their direction for a more appropriate therapy accordingly with the aggressiveness of the disease.

Conclusões

The study of the proteome through mass spectrometry and the analysis of protein expression is an effective way to identify biomarkers. In addition, the study of the proteome makes it possible to better understand the molecular bases that are involved in the emergence of paragangliomas, allowing an early and less invasive diagnosis, as well as helping to choose an appropriate therapy for each patient.

Palavras-chave

PARAGANGLIOMAS, MASS SPECTROMETRY, LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Financiador do resumo

IT DOES NOT HAVE.