Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42569678›Full record

ReviewJournal of oral and maxillofacial pathology : JOMFP

CDKN2A alterations in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review of diagnostic and prognostic significance.

Sivakumar Gopalakrishnan, Vijayashree P Jayaseelan, Raghini Ramamurthi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of oral and maxillofacial pathology : JOMFP. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sivakumar GopalakrishnanDepartment of Oral Pathology, Madha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Vijayashree P JayaseelanClinical Genetics lab Centre for Cellular and Molecular Research, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Raghini RamamurthiDepartment of Oral Pathology, Madha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a significant global health burden with limited improvement in survival rates. CDKN2A, a tumour suppressor gene encoding the p16^INK4a protein, is frequently altered in OSCC through promoter methylation, gene deletion, or expression downregulation. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of CDKN2A alterations in OSCC. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE identified case-control studies published between 2015 and 2025. Only human tumour-normal comparative studies (including primary case-control and in silico comparative transcriptomic analyses) analyzing human-derived tissue or blood samples for CDKN2A alterations (methylation, expression, or copy number changes) and reporting clinical outcomes were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. No quantitative meta-analysis was performed due to heterogeneity in effect measures (hazard ratio [HR] vs odds ratio [OR]), alteration types/assays, and the limited number of studies reporting extractable survival data. Five case-control studies (≈500 participants) met eligibility criteria, spanning diverse regions, methods, and sample sizes. In four studies, CDKN2A disruption-via promoter methylation, copy-number loss, or reduced expression-aligned with worse endpoints (recurrence, metastasis, or survival), while one polymorphism-focused study was null. Because effect metrics were incompatible (HR vs OR), assays varied, and few studies reported extractable survival data, results could not be pooled. However, qualitative synthesis showed convergent adverse associations in four of five studies, with overall moderate-high quality on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Unlike previous reviews that combined heterogeneous study designs, this analysis focused on human tumour-normal comparative studies (primary case-control and in silico analyses), providing a more direct evaluation of CDKN2A status in clinically matched populations. The findings confirm that CDKN2A alterations are strongly associated with poor prognosis in OSCC and highlight their value as one of the most consistent biomarkers for prognostic assessment. This case-control-focused appraisal offers unique evidence to guide risk stratification and supports further prospective validation.

Indexed as

BiomarkerCDKN2Amethylationoral squamous cell carcinomap16prognosissurvival

Identifiers

PMID42569678
PMCPMC13450915

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.