IGF2-H19 Locus Expression Profile and Biomarker Potential in Oral Cancer

Sep 22, 2026

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IGF2-H19 locus plays a key role in normal development and growth, while dysregulation is linked to multiple cancers with inconsistent findings in oral cancer. Expression of IGF2 and H19 was measured in oral cancer cell lines (SCC-25, SCC-15) and normal keratinocytes (HaCaT), and in tumor and adjacent non-cancer tissues from 55 patients. IGF2 and H19 were higher in cancer cell lines, and in patient samples IGF2-H19 locus and hsa-miR-675-5p were lower in cancer tissue. IGF2, H19 and hsa-miR-675-5p showed moderate discrimination, and combined analysis improved diagnostic performance, with no clear prognostic value.

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Article IGF2-H19 Locus Expression Profile and Biomarker Potential in Oral Cancer Goran Stojkovic 1,2, Milica Jaksic Karisik 3, Nikola Todorovic 2, Marija Savic Veselinovic 4, Jovana Rosic Stojkovic 1 and Katarina Zeljic 4, * Academic Editor: Marcus Krüger Received: 1 June 2026 Revised: 17 July 2026 Accepted: 20 July 2026 Published: 23 July 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; [drgoranstojkovic@gmail.com](drgoranstojkovic@gmail.com) (G.S.); [jovana.rosic@med.bg.ac.rs](jovana.rosic@med.bg.ac.rs) (J.R.S.) 2 Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; [nikola.todorovic89@hotmail.com](nikola.todorovic89@hotmail.com) 3 School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; [milica.jaksic@stomf.bg.ac.rs](milica.jaksic@stomf.bg.ac.rs) 4 Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; [marijas@bio.bg.ac.rs](marijas@bio.bg.ac.rs) * Correspondence: [katarina.zeljic@bio.bg.ac.rs](katarina.zeljic@bio.bg.ac.rs); Tel.:+381-638452350 Simple Summary Oral cancer is one of the most common head and neck malignancies, and its early and sensitive detection remains a major clinical challenge. In this study, we investigated several molecules involved in the control of normal cell growth and development to determine whether they could help distinguish cancer tissue from healthy tissue and potentially help in determining prognosis of patients. We analyzed their expression in oral cancer cells grown in the laboratory and in tissue samples obtained from patients with oral cancer. We found that the levels of these molecules were significantly different between noncancerous and cancer tissues. When all three molecules were analyzed together, they showed improved ability to identify oral cancer. However, these molecules were not associated with predicting disease outcome. Our findings suggest that these biological markers may be useful for improving the detection of oral cancer and could contribute to the development of more accurate diagnostic tools in the future. Further studies involving larger numbers of patients are needed to confirm these results. Abstract IGF2-H19 locus is important for normal development and growth, and its deregulation has been implicated in various cancers, with conflicting data in oral cancer. IGF2 and H19 expression was analyzed in oral cancer (SCC-25, SCC-15) and normal keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell lines, as well as in cancer tissue and adjacent non-cancerous tissues from 55 patients with oral cancer. The expression of IGF2 and H19 was increased in oral cancer cell lines compared with control cell line. In clinical samples, expression of the IGF2-H19 locus and its associated hsa-miR-675-5p was significantly lower in cancer tissue compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissue. IGF2, H19, and hsa-miR-675-5p demonstrated moderate ability to discriminate between oral cancer and non-cancerous tissues, while the combined analysis of all three molecules improved diagnostic performance. Our results suggest that IGF2-H19 and hsa-miR-675-5p may have potential as molecular biomarkers for discriminating between oral cancer and non-cancerous tissue, but do not appear to have prognostic value. Keywords: IGF2; H19; hsa-miR-483; hsa-miR-675; oral cancer 1. Introduction Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a heterogenous group of cancers arising in the head and neck region, including oral cavity cancer [1] . Oral cancer (oralsquamous cell carcinoma, OSCC) is the most common subtype within this group, accounting for approximately 90% of all HNSC cases [2] . The global incidence of oral cancer is increasing [3], particularly in Europe and among y

FAQs

What molecules were investigated as potential biomarkers in oral cancer?

The study focused on the IGF2-H19 locus, including IGF2 and H19, and its associated hsa-miR-675-5p, along with additional microRNA markers mentioned in the keywords.

How were IGF2 and H19 expression levels compared between cancer and normal samples?

Expression was analyzed in oral cancer cell lines and normal keratinocytes, and in tissue samples from 55 oral cancer patients, comparing cancer tissue with adjacent non-cancerous tissue.

Did the IGF2-H19-related markers help predict patient outcomes?

No. Although the molecules showed ability to discriminate between oral cancer and non-cancer tissues, they were not associated with predicting disease outcome.

Sep 22, 2026

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