Molecular biology of the oral cancer

Abstract

Head and neck cancer, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and salivary gland cancer, is the sixth most common cancer in the world. OSCC has a high potential for local invasion and nodal metastasis, and the overall 5-year survival rate has not significantly improved during the past three decades. The need to understand the detailed molecular mechanisms of OSCC is urgent. Recent studies have clarified the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis of head and neck cancer. Although pathology is based on morphological findings, knowledge of molecular pathology is essential for the current pathology and oncology fields. In this chapter, we describe the molecular biological findings related to OSCC, such as the genetic events leading to OSCC development, human papillomavirus (HPV)-related OSCC, hallmarks of cancer, epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT), and microRNA. We also discuss the novel molecular pathological findings obtained by our laboratory related to OSCC, salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC).