Clinical update on head and neck cancer: molecular biology and ongoing challenges.

ABSTRACT: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are an aggressive, genetically complex and difficult to treat group of cancers. In lieu of truly effective targeted therapies, surgery and radiotherapy represent the primary treatment options for most patients. But these treatments are associated with significant morbidity and a reduction in quality of life. Resistance to both radiotherapy and the only available targeted therapy, and subsequent relapse are common. Research has therefore focussed on identifying biomarkers to stratify patients into clinically meaningful groups and to develop more effective targeted therapies. However, as we are now discovering, the poor response to therapy and aggressive nature of HNSCCs is not only affected by the complex alterations in intracellular signallin

SUBMITTER: Alsahafi E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6629629 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature