Unveiling the Role of lncRNA BBOX1-AS1, HOXB7, and IGF2BP1 in Non-Melanocytic Skin Tumors: Potential Biomarkers for Diagnosis

Background: The primary kinds of non-melanoma malignant skin cancer(NMSC) that affect the skin were cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Examining new biomarkers may enhance the precision of diagnosis and therapeutic approaches.
Objectives: The goal of this research is to evaluate the expression of the lncRNA BBOX-AS1, HOXB7 and IGF2BP1 and to investigate their potential use as diagnostic biomarkers in NMSC cases.
Subjects and methods: Thirty people participated in the current investigation. They were separated into two cohorts: Cohort I consisted of 15 tissue samples from the cSCC tumour mass (Ia) and 15 tissue samples from the same case's healthy marginal skin (Ib). Additionally, Cohort II was split into 15 tissue samples from the BCC tumour mass (IIa) and 15 tissue samples from the same case's healthy marginal skin who also had a BCC diagnosis(IIb). Their tissue lncRNA BBOX1-AS1, HOXB7 and IGF2BP1 expression levels were estimated using a quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method.
Results: Compared to healthy marginal tissues, the malignant tissues of cSCC and BCC showed increased expression levels of the lncRNA BBOX1-AS1, HOXB7 and IGF2BP1. IGF2BP1 was found to be the most important factor linked to cSCC risk by univariate analysis, followed by BBOX1-AS1. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that malignant cells of cSCC and BCC have increased levels of the lncRNA BBOX1-AS1, HOXB7 and IGF2BP1. Given that BBOX1-AS1 and HOXB7 exhibited strong discriminatory power in both tumour types.