Biomarkers for oral tongue cancer metastasis and extracapsular spread (ECS)

1. A method of diagnosing, or providing a prognosis for, oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma metastasis or extracapsular spread of an oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in a human subject having the carcinoma, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting a biological sample comprising RNA wherein the sample is from the primary cancer site of the oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma with

i) a CTTN reagent that specifically binds to a CTTN marker nucleic acid consisting of the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:19, wherein said contacting with the CTTN reagent is used to determine the expression level of a CTTN marker nucleic acid in the sample;

ii) a MMP9 reagent that specifically binds to a MMP9 marker nucleic acid having the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:27, wherein said contacting with the MMP9 reagent is used to determine the expression level of a MMP9 marker nucleic acid in the sample;

and

iii) an EGFR reagent that specifically binds to an EGFR marker nucleic acid consisting of the nucleic sequence of SEQ ID NO:31, wherein said contacting with the EGFR reagent is used to determine the expression level of an EGFR marker nucleic acid in the sample;

and

(b) determining whether or not RNA representing each of the CTTN, MMP9, and EGFR marker nucleic acids is overexpressed in the sample when compared to, respectively, RNA expression levels representing each of the CTTN, MMP9, and EGFR marker nucleic acids of a comparison population of human subjects having a tongue squamous cell carcinoma which did not metastasize; wherein the overexpression of the RNA representing each of the CTTN, MMP9, and EGFR marker nucleic acids in the sample indicates that the metastasis or extracapsular spread is present or likely to develop.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9 and EGFR reagents are each a nucleic acid probe.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9 and EGFR reagents are each an oligonucleotide.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9 and EGFR reagents are each a member of-an oligonucleotide array.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9 and EGFR reagents are each respectively a RT PCR primer set.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a diagnosis or prognosis for the extracapsular spread of the oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma is provided.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a diagnosis or prognosis for the metastasis of the oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma is provided.

8. A method of diagnosis, or providing a prognosis for, a tongue cell carcinoma metastasis or the extracapsular spread of an oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in a human subject having the carcinoma, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting a biological sample comprising RNA from the primary cancer site of the tongue of the subject with

i) a CTTN reagent that specifically binds to CTTN marker nucleic acid consisting of the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:19; wherein said contacting with the CTTN reagent is used to determine the expression level of a CTTN marker nucleic acid in the sample;

ii) a MMP9 reagent that specifically binds to a MMP9 marker nucleic acid consisting of the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:27; wherein said contacting with the MMP9 reagent is used to determine the expression level of a MMP9 marker nucleic acid in the sample;

iii) a BMP2 reagent that specifically binds to a BMP2 marker nucleic acid consisting of the nucleic acid seciuence of SEQ ID NO:17; wherein said contacting with the BMP2 reagent is used to determine the expression level of a BMP2 marker nucleic acid in the sample;

iv) a GTSE1 reagent that specifically binds-to a GTSE1 marker nucleic acid consisting of the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:29; wherein said contacting with the GTSE1 reagent is used to determine the expression level of a GTSE1 marker nucleic acid in the sample; and

b) comparing the expression levels determined for the CTTN, BMP2, and GTSE1 marker nucleic acids to, respectively, the CTTN, MMP9, BMP2, and GTSE1 marker nucleic acid expression levels of a comparison population of human subjects having a tongue squamous cell carcinoma which did not metastasize; wherein a determination that each of the CTTN, MMP9, BMP2, and GTSE1 marker nucleic acids is overexpressed relative to the comparison population indicates that the metastasis or the extracapsular spread is present or likely to develop.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9, BMP2, and GTSE1 reagents are each a nucleic acid probe.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9, BMP2, and GTSE1 reagents are each an oligonucleotide.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9, BMP2, and GTSE1 reagents are each members of an oligonucleotide array.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the CTTN, MMP9, BMP2, and GTSE1 reagents are each respectively a RT PCR primer set.