pTINCR Expression Is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness but Does Not Independently Predict Prognosis in Head and Neck Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
13 affiliations
- 1Dermatology Service, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- 2Dermatology Area, Department of Medicine, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
- 3Grupo de Investigación en Dermatología (GRIDER), Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
- 4Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- 5Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
- 6Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- 7Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
- 8Instituto Universitario Fernández-Vega (IUFV), Fundación de Investigación Oftalmológica, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
- 9Pathology Service, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- 10Pathology Area, Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
- 11Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Service, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
- 12Otolaryngology Area, Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
- 13Biobank of the Principality of Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
Abstract
Terminal differentiation-induced non-coding RNA (TINCR), initially classified as a long non-coding RNA, encodes a biologically active microprotein (pTINCR) involved in epidermal differentiation and tumor biology. However, the clinicopathological and prognostic relevance of pTINCR expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective case-control study including 116 patients with head and neck cSCC: 58 patients who developed nodal metastasis and 58 non-metastatic controls. pTINCR expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and analyzed in relation to clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes. Unconditional logistic regression was used to evaluate its association with nodal metastasis. Cox proportional hazards models were additionally used to explore associations with time-to-event outcomes. Negative pTINCR expression was significantly associated with tumor thickness > 6 mm (p < 0.001), poorer histological differentiation (p = 0.002), and higher tumor stage (p = 0.011). In univariate logistic regression, negative pTINCR expression was associated with higher odds of nodal metastasis (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.27-5.77; p = 0.010), but this association was no longer significant after adjustment for established clinicopathological factors (adjusted OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.34-4.59; p = 0.736). In Cox analyses, negative pTINCR expression was associated with a shorter time to nodal metastasis (HR 1.88; p = 0.017) and higher tumor-specific mortality (HR 2.02; p = 0.033) in univariate analyses, but not after multivariable adjustment. Tumor budding remained the strongest independent prognostic factor across the evaluated time-to-event outcomes. Loss of pTINCR expression is associated with adverse histopathological features and nodal metastasis in head and neck cSCC, but it does not provide independent prognostic information beyond established clinicopathological factors. pTINCR may therefore serve as a marker of an aggressive tumor phenotype rather than an independent prognostic biomarker.
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BibTeX
@article{santosjuanes2026ptincr,
title = {{pTINCR Expression Is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness but Does Not Independently Predict Prognosis in Head and Neck Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.}},
author = {Raquel Santos-Juanes and Jorge Santos-Juanes and Noelia Blanco-Agudín and Jesús Merayo-Lloves and Blanca Vivanco and Juana M García-Pedrero and Juan P Rodrigo and Iván Fernández-Vega and Cristina Galache},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27198443},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883691},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - pTINCR Expression Is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness but Does Not Independently Predict Prognosis in Head and Neck Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AU - Raquel Santos-Juanes
AU - Jorge Santos-Juanes
AU - Noelia Blanco-Agudín
AU - Jesús Merayo-Lloves
AU - Blanca Vivanco
AU - Juana M García-Pedrero
AU - Juan P Rodrigo
AU - Iván Fernández-Vega
AU - Cristina Galache
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - International journal of molecular sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27198443
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883691
AB - Terminal differentiation-induced non-coding RNA (TINCR), initially classified as a long non-coding RNA, encodes a biologically active microprotein (pTINCR) involved in epidermal differentiation and tumor biology. However, the clinicopathological and prognostic relevance of pTINCR expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective case-control study including 116 patients with head and neck cSCC: 58 patients who developed nodal metastasis and 58 non-metastatic controls. pTINCR expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and analyzed in relation to clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes. Unconditional logistic regression was used to evaluate its association with nodal metastasis. Cox proportional hazards models were additionally used to explore associations with time-to-event outcomes. Negative pTINCR expression was significantly associated with tumor thickness > 6 mm (p < 0.001), poorer histological differentiation (p = 0.002), and higher tumor stage (p = 0.011). In univariate logistic regression, negative pTINCR expression was associated with higher odds of nodal metastasis (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.27-5.77; p = 0.010), but this association was no longer significant after adjustment for established clinicopathological factors (adjusted OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.34-4.59; p = 0.736). In Cox analyses, negative pTINCR expression was associated with a shorter time to nodal metastasis (HR 1.88; p = 0.017) and higher tumor-specific mortality (HR 2.02; p = 0.033) in univariate analyses, but not after multivariable adjustment. Tumor budding remained the strongest independent prognostic factor across the evaluated time-to-event outcomes. Loss of pTINCR expression is associated with adverse histopathological features and nodal metastasis in head and neck cSCC, but it does not provide independent prognostic information beyond established clinicopathological factors. pTINCR may therefore serve as a marker of an aggressive tumor phenotype rather than an independent prognostic biomarker.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -