Measurement of ATP6V1C1 expression in brush cytology samples as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity. Brush cytology has reemerged as a molecular tool for diagnosing this cancer. ATP6V1C1, one of the main genes regulating V-ATPase activity, has been implicated in metastasis and multiple drug resistance. The aim of this study was to measure ATP6V1C1 expression levels in OSCC and to evaluate the value of this test in the diagnosis and prognosis of OSCC. Results: The differences in ATP6V1C1 expression between patients and controls were statistically significant (Mann-Whitney U test = 26, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.9476, with the following diagnostic indices: sensitivity, 81.25%, specificity, 93.75%; accuracy, 87.50%; positive predictive value, 92.86%; negative predictive value, 83.33%; positive likelihood ratio, 30; and negative likelihood ratio, 0.06. Material and methods: Patients with OSCC and a control group of healthy individuals were studied. The clinical and demographic variables analyzed included age, sex, smoking, tumor location and tumor stage. Brush cytology samples were obtained using a cytology brush and analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction for ATP6V1C1 expression. Conclusions: It was confirmed that ATP6V1C1 levels were significantly higher in patients with OSCC than in healthy controls, with expression increasing with higher tumor stage. ROC analysis showed that the measurement of ATP6V1C1 expression levels is a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic method.