Head and neck cancer was the eighth leading cause of cancer death worldwide in 2000. Although the incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the United States is relatively low, survival is poor and has not improved for several decades. While tobacco and alcohol are the primary risk factors for HNSCC development, epidemiological studies report a strong association with human ...

Telomerase activation has very important implications for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but the regulatory mechanisms of telomerase in HNSCC remain unclear. In our present study, we found that miR-512-5P was markedly downregulated in telomerase-positive HNSCC cell lines. Both in vitro and in vivo assays revealed that miR-512-5P mimic attenuated HNSCC cell proliferation, and tum...

BACKGROUND The PD-1 receptor and its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 are known to be significantly involved in T-cell regulation. Recent studies suggest that PD-L1 expression in malignant tumors contributes to an immunosuppressive microenvironment and disruption of antitumoral immune response. Drugs targeting this pathway are already tested in clinical trials against several tumor entities with promisi...

BACKGROUND Tumor-derived cytokines play a significant role in the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Targeting proteins, such as tristetraprolin (TTP), that regulate multiple inflammatory cytokines may inhibit the progression of HNSCC. However, TTP's role in cancer is poorly understood. The goal of the current study was to determine whether TTP regulates inflammatory ...

OBJECTIVES To establish the concept that the antigenicity/immunogenicity of ALDH(high) human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cancer stem cells (CSC) is distinct from that of ALDH(low) non-CSCs. METHODS We generated CSC-loaded dendritic cells (DCs) to sensitize autologous peripheral blood T, B lymphocytes to react with CSCs using human HNSCC samples in vitro. RESULTS From perip...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a heterogeneous disease arising from the mucosal epithelia in the head and neck region. The most common risk factors are tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and HPV infection, particularly in the oropharynx. The HPV-positive HNSCC is biologically and clinically distinct from the HPV-negative HNSCC; however, deregulations within the phosphatidylinos...

Conventional therapeutic approaches for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are associated with many adverse effects that reduce quality of life. Therefore, identification of new less cytotoxic treatments is highly important. Metformin, which is commonly used for type 2 diabetes, may reduce cancer risk. A few clinical studies have examined the association between HNSCC and metformin. ...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents the most frequent malignancy in the head and neck region, and the survival rate has not been improved significantly over the past three decades. It has been reported the infiltrated macrophages contribute to the malignant progression of HNSCC. However, the crosstalk between macrophages and cancer cells remains poorly understood. In the pr...

Despite advances in clinical management, 5-year survival rate in patients with late-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has not improved significantly over the past decade. Targeted therapies have emerged as one of the most promising approaches to treat several malignancies. Though tyrosine phosphorylation accounts for a minority of total phosphorylation, it is critical for acti...

PURPOSE Increased expression and/or activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in many cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Src family kinases, including c-Src, mediate a variety of intracellular or extracellular signals that contribute to tumor formation and progression. This study was undertaken to...