Molecular Determinants of Head and Neck Cancer, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2014 Current Cancer Research Series

Squamous cell cancers of the head and neck (SCCHN), also known as head and neck cancers (HNC) encompass malignancies of the oral cavity, larynx, nasopharynx and pharynx, and are diagnosed in over 500,000 patients worldwide each year, accounting for 5% of all malignancies. In the past several years, there have been significant developments in understanding of HNC. It is now recognized that although alcohol and tobacco use has represented the likely predominant cause of SCCHN, the incidence of a second class of SCCHN related to oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is increasing, with a four-fold increase in the past 2 decades, and now thought to represent up to 30% of cases. The first effective target for SCCHN, the EGFR-targeting antibody cetuximab, was approved as recently as in 2006; since then, a growing body of research has identified additional signaling pathways as important in disease pathogenesis, and in resistance to treatment. Proteins such as c-Met, Src, and HER2 are emerging as new therapeutic targets, with a considerable ferment in the clinical trial community. As a capstone of research progress, 2011 marked the first reports of high throughput sequencing of SCCHN tumors, with these efforts identifying unexpected players such as Notch as frequent subject of mutation, spawning new hypotheses for future research. This book will be of interest to researchers who are interested in better understanding the biology of head and neck cancers, with the goals of better designing therapies, identifying risk factors, or investigating the molecular basis of the disease.

Overview: The Pathobiology of Head and Neck Cancer.- Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck cancer and the Wnt signaling pathway.- EGFR Inhibitors as Therapeutic Agents in Head and Neck Cancer.- The Role of HGF/c-MET in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.- Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Receptors in Head and Neck Cancer.- The PI3K Signaling Pathway in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.- Jak/STAT Signaling in HNC.- TGFβ regulates EMT in head and neck cancer.- p53 in Head and Neck Cancer.- DNA damage proteins and response to therapy in head and neck cancer.- Hypoxia and radioresistance in head and neck cancer.- The Wnt β-catenin Signaling Circuitry in Head and Neck Cancer.- Sequencing HNC: Emergence of Notch Signaling.- Gene Expression in HNC.- Epidemiology of HPV in Head and Neck Cancer; variant strains, discrete protein function.- Projections: Novel Therapies for HPV-Negative Cancers of the Head and Neck.- Index.

Summarize the unique pathobiology of head and neck cancers Addresses signaling pathways and individual proteins that are important in causing or supporting the aggressive nature of head and neck cancer Covers high throughput studies addressing chromosomal, mutational, and transcriptional changes that characterize SCCHN Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras