Chen Zhuo Georgia
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University Winship Cancer Institute, 1365 Clifton Road, Building C, Suite C3086, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2007 Nov;7(7):613-22. doi: 10.2174/156800907782418301.
Head and neck (HN) cancer is a significant health-care problem worldwide. One of the major prognostic factors for squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC) is metastasis. Early detection of lymph node metastasis and the identification of key protein targets for the treatment of metastatic HNSCC remain a challenge in current cancer research. Recent developments in molecular analysis technologies, such as DNA microarray and proteomic analyses, have provided powerful tools for the detection of metastatic signatures in primary tumors, opening new avenues toward the molecular diagnosis and prognosis of HN cancers. Evaluation of gene expression profiling identified in metastatic signatures has further facilitated the understanding of HNSCC metastasis at the molecular level. This review will focus on current exploration of metastatic proteins in HNSCC with an emphasis on molecular signatures of metastatic HNSCC in order to understand the functions of metastasis-related proteins involved in adhesion, invasion, dissemination, and survival, and to define appropriate biomarkers and targets for the treatment of this disease.
头颈癌是全球一个重大的医疗保健问题。头颈部鳞状细胞癌(HNSCC)的主要预后因素之一是转移。早期检测淋巴结转移以及确定转移性HNSCC治疗的关键蛋白靶点仍是当前癌症研究中的一项挑战。DNA微阵列和蛋白质组分析等分子分析技术的最新进展,为检测原发性肿瘤中的转移特征提供了强大工具,为头颈癌的分子诊断和预后开辟了新途径。对转移特征中鉴定出的基因表达谱进行评估,进一步促进了在分子水平上对头颈部鳞状细胞癌转移的理解。本综述将重点关注目前对头颈部鳞状细胞癌转移蛋白的探索,着重于转移性HNSCC的分子特征,以便了解参与黏附、侵袭、播散和存活的转移相关蛋白的功能,并确定针对该疾病治疗的合适生物标志物和靶点。