Metheetrairut C, et al. - Given that, the majority of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cases in developing countries are associated with cigarette smoking and TP₅₃ mutations, authors evaluated the the differences in expression levels of miR-34 in HNSCC with or without TP₅₃ mutations. They noted elevated levels of miR-34a and miR-34b/b*/c in the surgically resected HNSCC samples with no TP₅₃ mutations, while no such up-regulation is seen in those with TP₅₃ mutations. Findings also suggested the correlation of miR-34b/b*/c expression with smoking status and tumor sites.