IDENTIFICATION OF BIOMARKER IN LARYNGEAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA: IN SEARCH OF NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most common malignancies among head and neck cancers, and is associated with a poor prognosis, although advances in diagnosis and treatment. Oxidative stress is progressively acknowledged as a key factor in carcinogenesis, causing DNA damage, epigenetic alterations, and dysregulation of cellular signaling pathways. In parallel, metabolic reprogramming has developed as a hallmark of cancer, supporting tumour growth and survival.The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of proteins involved in oxidative stress and metabolic regulation in LSCC. Specifically, the analysis focused on superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), metallothionein (MT), and vimentin (VIM), together with key markers of glucose and amino acid metabolism, such as glutamine fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT), glutaminase (GLS), asparagine synthetase (ASNS), and alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2 (ASCT2).Protein expression levels were evaluated in LSCC tissue samples using Western blot analysis in paired tumour and adjacent healthy tissues, and the results were correlated with clinico-pathological parameters. The study showed alterations in proteins involved in antioxidant defense and redox regulation, suggesting the presence of an adaptive response to oxygen stress within the tumour microenvironment. Furthermore, the upregulation of metabolic markers supports the presence of metabolic reprogramming, particularly involving glutamine metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis pathways, which may contribute to tumour progression. Several proteins were also associated with specific clinical and pathological features, indicating a possible link between molecular alterations and tumour behaviour. Overall, these results suggest that oxidative stress and metabolic reprogramming are closely interconnected in LSCC and may contribuite to its development and progression.In conclusion, the proteins investigated in this study could represent useful biomarkers for a better understanding of the biology of LSCC and could provide a basis for the identification of novel therapeutic targets. However, further studies involving larger patient cohorts are needed to confirm these observations and clarify their potential clinical implications.