Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Epigenetic Landscape

• Published in: Diagnostics (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 34
• Main Authors: Romanowska, Kamila, Sobecka, Agnieszka, Rawłuszko-Wieczorek, Agnieszka A, Suchorska, Wiktoria M, Golusiński, Wojciech
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27.12.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Biomarkers; DNA methylation; epigenetics; head and neck cancer; histone modification; Human papillomavirus; Kinases; non-coding RNA activity; Review; squamous cell carcinoma; head and neck cancer; histone modification; non-coding RNA activity; biomarkers; DNA methylation; RNA methylation; epigenetics; squamous cell carcinoma
• ISSN: 2075-4418; 2075-4418
• DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11010034

Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) constitutes the sixth most prevalent cancer worldwide. The molecular pathogenesis of HNSCC includes disorders in cell cycle, intercellular signaling, proliferation, squamous cell differentiation and apoptosis. In addition to the genetic mutations, changes in HNSCC are also characterized by the accumulation of epigenetic alterations such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNA activity and RNA methylation. In fact, some of them may promote cancer formation and progression by controlling the gene expression machinery, hence, they could be used as biomarkers in the clinical surveillance of HNSCC or as targets for therapeutic strategies. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge regarding epigenetic modifications observed in HNSCC and its predictive value for cancer development.