Genetic Changes in Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with a global yearly incidence of 780,000 new cases. Common sites include the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, larynx and salivary glands. Tobacco and/or alcohol...

ver descrição completa

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Colombo, Jucimara, Rahal, Paula
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2009
País:Brasil
Recursos:Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva (INCA)
Repositório:Revista Brasileira de Cancerologia (Online)
Idioma:português
OAI Identifier:oai:rbc.inca.gov.br:article/1648
Acesso em linha:https://rbc.inca.gov.br/index.php/revista/article/view/1648
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Câncer de cabeça e pescoço
Carcinogênese multipasso
Alterações genéticas
Oncogene
Gene supressor tumoral
Polimorfismos
Head and neck cancer
Multistep carcinogenesis
Genetic alterations
Tumor suppressor gene
Polymorphisms
Descrição
Resumo:Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with a global yearly incidence of 780,000 new cases. Common sites include the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, larynx and salivary glands. Tobacco and/or alcohol consumption are the two main risk factors involved in the development of HNSCC. Despite recent advances in treatment, the long-term survival rate of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma has remained at 40%. Locorregional recurrence and metastasis after conventional therapy appear to be the major contributing factors for the restricted survival of patients. The development of HNSCC is a multistep process accompanied by genetic and epigenetic changes, including loss of heterozygosity, gene inactivation by methylation and gene amplification. Different studies have revealed numerous molecular abnormalities in HNSCC, including activation of oncogenes such as EGFR, cyclin D1 and COX-2; inactivation of tumor suppressor genes such as TP53, p16, p27, and WAF1/C1P1; and expression of angiogenic and metastatic factors, as well as genetic polymorphisms of metabolic enzymes. This review presents current information about the main genetic changes involved in the development of head and neck cancer, which shows potential prognostic value and discusses some factors that contribute to the controversy concerning their prognostic importance.