Molecular Biomarkers in Sinonasal Cancers: New Frontiers in Diagnosis and Treatment

• Published in: Current oncology reports Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 55 - 67
• Main Authors: Turri-Zanoni, Mario, Gravante, Giacomo, Castelnuovo, Paolo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics; Diagnosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Epigenetics; Genetic diversity; Head & neck cancer; Head and Neck Cancers (EY Hanna; Head and Neck Cancers (EY Hanna, Section Editor); Humans; Immunotherapy; Medical diagnosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neuroblastoma; Oncology; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms - diagnosis; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms - genetics; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms - therapy; Prognosis; Radiation therapy; Section Editor; Topical Collection on Head and Neck Cancers; Tumors; Targeted therapies; INI-1; Neuroendocrine carcinoma (SNEC); Intestinal-type adenocarcinoma (ITAC); Immunotherapy; Olfactory neuroblastoma; Biomarkers; PD-L1; Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC); Mucosal melanoma; Paranasal sinus cancer
• ISSN: 1523-3790; 1534-6269
• DOI: 10.1007/s11912-021-01154-3

Purpose of Review Sinonasal tumors are rare and heterogeneous diseases which pose challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Despite significant progress made in surgical, oncological, and radiotherapy fields, their prognosis still remains poor. Therefore, alternative strategies should be studied in order to refine diagnosis and improve patient care. Recent Findings In recent years, in-depth molecular studies have identified new biological markers, such as genetic abnormalities and epigenetic variations, which have allowed to refine diagnosis and predict prognosis. As a consequence, new histological entities have been described and specific subgroup stratifications within the well-known histotypes have been made possible. These discoveries have expanded indications for immunotherapy and targeted therapies in order to reduce tumor spread, thus representing a valuable implementation of standard treatments. Summary Recent findings in molecular biology have paved the way for better understanding and managing such rare and aggressive tumors. Although further efforts need to be made in this direction, expectations are promising.