Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

World J Surg Oncol 2019 Apr 1;17(1):60. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Background: The incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is rare, but a certain amount of mortality remains in NPC patients. Our study aimed to identify candidate genes as biomarkers for NPC screening, diagnosis, and therapy.

Methods: We investigated two microarray profile datasets GSE64634 and GSE12452 to screen the potential differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in NPC. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2018 ;1756:105-118

Cancer Molecular Pathology of School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.

Tissue microarray technology could allow immunohistochemical staining or in situ hybridization on hundreds of different tissue samples simultaneously. It allows faster analysis and considerably reducing costs incurred in staining. The technique also provides a high-throughput analysis of multiple tissues for the different types of research. Read More

Lancet Oncol 2018 03 7;19(3):382-393. Epub 2018 Feb 7.

Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address:

Background: Gene expression patterns can be used as prognostic biomarkers in various types of cancers. We aimed to identify a gene expression pattern for individual distant metastatic risk assessment in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods: In this multicentre, retrospective, cohort analysis, we included 937 patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma from three Chinese hospitals: the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China), the Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University (Guilin, China), and the First People's Hospital of Foshan (Foshan, China). Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2018 Feb 9;275(2):535-543. Epub 2017 Dec 9.

Department of Oral Pathology, College of Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, South Korea.

Purpose: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the main source of cervical cancer. Many recent studies have revealed the prevalence and prognosis of HPV associated with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, but fewer reports have evaluated HPV in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and prognosis of HPV associated with OSCC according to HPV and tumor types. Read More

Br J Cancer 2017 Dec 7;117(12):1837-1845. Epub 2017 Nov 7.

Department of Surgery (A), Heinrich-Heine-University and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, Duesseldorf 40225, Germany.

Background: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare and challenging endocrine malignancy. Once spread, the therapeutic options are limited and the outcome poor. For these patients, the identification of new druggable biological markers is of great importance. Read More

Cancer Immunol Immunother 2017 Dec 30;66(12):1619-1629. Epub 2017 Aug 30.

Pathology, University of Helsinki, HUSLAB, and Helsinki University Hospital, P.O Box 21, 00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

A large subset of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) is associated with HPV infection and has better outcome than non-viral-related tumors. Various malignancies also carry a role for TLRs, key activators of inflammation and innate immunity. We examined the expression of TLRs in OPSCC, and their association with HPV status and treatment outcome. Read More

J Huazhong Univ Sci Technolog Med Sci 2017 Jun 6;37(3):319-325. Epub 2017 Jun 6.

Cancer Biology Research Center & Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.

Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor, whose pathogenesis and prognosis factors are not fully understood. This study aimed to discover the gene clusters that have similar functions and can be used to predict the prognosis of esophageal cancer. The matched microarray and RNA sequencing data of 185 patients with esophageal cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and gene co-expression networks were built without distinguishing between squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Read More

Oncotarget 2017 Jun;8(24):38755-38766

School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Metastasis is the most lethal hallmark of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The aim of the study is to identify key signaling pathways that control metastasis in ESCC. Highly invasive ESCC sublines (designated I3 cells) were established through three rounds of selection of cancer cells invading through matrigel-coated chambers. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2016 Oct 28;22(19):4880-4889. Epub 2016 Jun 28.

Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Simmons Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.

Purpose: Most non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) are now diagnosed from small specimens, and classification using standard pathology methods can be difficult. This is of clinical relevance as many therapy regimens and clinical trials are histology dependent. The purpose of this study was to develop an mRNA expression signature as an adjunct test for routine histopathologic classification of NSCLCs. Read More

Oncotarget 2016 May;7(18):26604-16

State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is well known as one of the most common malignancies in southern China and Southeast Asia. However, the mechanisms underlying NPC progression remain poorly understood. Herein, through overlapping the differentially expressed genes from 3 microarray data sets with the human kinome, we identified PBK, a serine-threonine kinase, is highly upregulated and has not been intensively investigated in NPC. Read More

Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2016 Jul 26;43(7):1267-77. Epub 2016 Jan 26.

Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Maria Skłodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Wybrzeze Armii Krajowej 15, 44-101, Gliwice, Poland.

Purpose: Following the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and later in Fukushima, the nuclear community has been faced with important issues concerning how to search for and diagnose biological consequences of low-dose internal radiation contamination. Although after the Chernobyl accident an increase in childhood papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) was observed, it is still not clear whether the molecular biology of PTCs associated with low-dose radiation exposure differs from that of sporadic PTC.

Methods: We investigated tissue samples from 65 children/young adults with PTC using DNA microarray (Affymetrix, Human Genome U133 2. Read More

PLoS One 2016 25;11(1):e0147409. Epub 2016 Jan 25.

Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

The head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) transcriptome has been profiled extensively, nevertheless, identifying biomarkers that are clinically relevant and thereby with translational benefit, has been a major challenge. The objective of this study was to use a meta-analysis based approach to catalog candidate biomarkers with high potential for clinical application in HNSCC. Data from publically available microarray series (N = 20) profiled using Agilent (4X44K G4112F) and Affymetrix (HGU133A, U133A_2, U133Plus 2) platforms was downloaded and analyzed in a platform/chip-specific manner (GeneSpring software v12. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2016 May 5;45(5):329-37. Epub 2015 Oct 5.

Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.

Background: CIP2A, an inhibitor of PP2A tumour suppressor function, is a widely overexpressed biomarker of aggressive disease and poor therapy response in multiple human cancer types.

Methods: CIP2A and DPPA4 copy number alterations and expression were analysed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in different cell lines and a tissue microarray of 52 HNSCC patients. Results were correlated with patient survival and other clinicopathological data. Read More

ACM BCB 2015 Sep;2015:393-402

Department of Biomedical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 1-404-385-5059.

Increased understanding of the transcriptomic patterns underlying head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) can facilitate earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes. Integrating knowledge from multiple studies is necessary to identify fundamental, consistent gene expression signatures that distinguish HNSCC patient samples from disease-free samples, and particularly for detecting HNSCC at an early pathological stage. This study utilizes feature integration and heterogeneous ensemble modeling techniques to develop robust models for predicting HNSCC disease status in both microarray and RNAseq datasets. Read More

Tumour Biol 2016 Feb 27;37(2):1671-81. Epub 2015 Aug 27.

Cancer Research Center, The Key Laboratory of Brain and Spinal Cord Injury of Liaoning Province, Laboratory Animal Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning Medical University, Jinzhou, 121001, China.

Rho signaling component, α-catulin, is a cytoskeletal linker protein and plays an important role in apoptotic and senescence resistance, cytoskeletal reorganization, mobility, invasion, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells. Here, we transfected α-catulin-expressing plasmid into head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell and examined the phenotypes and relevant molecules. α-catulin expression was detected on tissue microarray containing squamous epithelium, dysplasia, and cancer of head and neck by immunohistochemistry. Read More

Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2015 Apr 29;54(4):249-59. Epub 2014 Dec 29.

Serviço de Anatomia Patológica, Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil, Lisboa, Portugal & Instituto de Anatomia Patológica, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Portugal.

Diverse microarray and sequencing technologies have been widely used to characterize molecular changes in malignant epithelial cells in salivary neoplasms. Such gene expression studies to identify markers and targets in tumor cells are, however, compromised by the cellular heterogeneity of these tumors and by the difficulties to accrue matching controls representing normal salivary glands. Seventeen samples of primary salivary epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma along with tissue from six normal major salivary glands were microdissected from paraffin-embedded tissue. Read More

Lin Chung Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2014 Jul;28(13):975-8

Objective: To filtrate and prove the different microRNAs (miRs) profiles in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Method: Screening the different expressions of miRs between nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the inflammatory tissues by the application of expression profiling of chip high-throughput and large-scale microarray analysis. Then we used RT-QPCR technology to prove the accuracy of screening results. Read More

Head Neck Pathol 2015 Jun 19;9(2):223-35. Epub 2014 Sep 19.

Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Oncology Program, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA,

The role of molecular methods in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer is rapidly evolving and holds great potential for improving outcomes for all patients who suffer from this diverse group of malignancies . However, there is considerable debate as to the best clinical approaches, particularly for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The choices of NGS methods such as whole exome, whole genome, whole transcriptomes (RNA-Seq) or multiple gene resequencing panels, each have strengths and weakness based on data quality, the size of the data, the turnaround time for data analysis, and clinical actionability. Read More

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2014 Apr;88(5):1203-11

Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Purpose: There are limited therapeutic options for patients with recurrent head and neck cancer after radiation therapy failure. To assess the use of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) as a salvage chemotherapeutic agent for recurrent cancer after radiation failure, we investigated the effect of clinically relevant cumulative irradiation on TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Methods And Materials: Using a previously established HN3 cell line from a laryngeal carcinoma patient, we generated a chronically irradiated HN3R isogenic cell line. Read More

J Transl Med 2014 Jan 6;12. Epub 2014 Jan 6.

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Science, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a solid tumor of the head and neck. Multimodal therapy is highly effective when NPC is detected early. However, due to the location of the tumor and the absence of clinical signs, early detection is difficult, making a biomarker for the early detection of NPC a priority. Read More

Zhonghua Bing Li Xue Za Zhi 2013 Jul;42(7):446-50

Department of Pathology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.

Objective: Six1 and Six4 are expressed in several tumors, and associated with tumor progress and poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Six1 and Six4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and to evaluate their correlation with the clinicopathological factors and prognosis.

Methods: Tissue microarray technology and immunohistochemical method (EnVision) were used to detect the expression of Six1 and Six4 in the tumor tissues and corresponding adjacent normal epithelium of esophagus from 292 ESCC patients. Read More

Cancer Control 2013 Apr;20(2):97-110

Radiation Oncology Program, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma account for more than 90% of all esophageal cancer cases. Although the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma has declined, the incidence of adenocarcinoma has risen due to increases in obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Methods: The authors examine the role of radiation therapy alone (external beam and brachytherapy) for the management of esophageal cancer or combined with other modalities. Read More

BMC Cancer 2013 Mar 21;13:137. Epub 2013 Mar 21.

Experimental Clinical Research Center at the Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Charité Campus Buch, Lindenbergerweg 80, Berlin, 13125, Germany.

Background: We attempted to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by gene expression profiling of frozen esophageal squamous carcinoma specimens and examined the functional relevance of a newly discovered marker gene, WDR66.

Methods: Laser capture microdissection technique was applied to collect the cells from well-defined tumor areas in collaboration with an experienced pathologist. Whole human gene expression profiling of frozen esophageal squamous carcinoma specimens (n = 10) and normal esophageal squamous tissue (n = 18) was performed using microarray technology. Read More

Oral Dis 2014 Mar 6;20(2):178-85. Epub 2013 Mar 6.

Medicine and Oral Surgery Department, Dental Sciences Group - Health Sciences Research Centre, Higher Institute of Health Sciences (ISCSN), CESPU, Paredes, Portugal.

Objectives: To evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFR), in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). We examined their utility as prognostic markers by relating to clinicopathological characteristics and the clinical outcome.

Materials And Methods: We analysed 74 primary OSCC and examined immunohistochemical expression of EGFR and pEGFR (phosphorylated at tyrosine 1173) using tissue microarray technology. Read More

Thyroid 2013 Nov 19;23(11):1383-9. Epub 2013 Sep 19.

1 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Background: Follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) shares features of papillary (PTC) and follicular (FTC) thyroid carcinomas on a clinical, morphological, and genetic level. MicroRNA (miRNA) deregulation was extensively studied in PTCs and FTCs. However, very limited information is available for FVPTC. Read More

J Clin Oncol 2012 Nov 8;30(33):4104-10. Epub 2012 Oct 8.

Molecular Cancer Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Purpose: Current assessment of lymph node metastasis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is not accurate enough to prevent overtreatment. The aim of this study was validation of a gene expression signature for distinguishing metastasizing (N+) from nonmetastasizing (N0) squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) and oropharynx (OPSCC) in a large multicenter cohort, using a diagnostic DNA microarray in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments/International Organization for Standardization-approved laboratory.

Methods: A multigene signature, previously reported as predictive for the presence of lymph node metastases in OSCC and OPSCC, was first re-evaluated and trained on 94 samples using generic, whole-genome, DNA microarrays. Read More

Eur J Surg Oncol 2013 Jan 25;39(1):17-23. Epub 2012 Jul 25.

Department of Surgery, The Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Aim: To evaluate current literature on gene expression profiling in oesophageal cancer.

Methods: We performed a review of the literature (2000-2010) on prognostication and prediction using gene expression analysis in oesophageal cancer.

Results: Seventeen papers comprising 638 patients were included. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2012 Oct 4;41(9):667-74. Epub 2012 Apr 4.

Department of Pathology, Forensic Sciences, University Hospital and School of Medicine of Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Anatomia Patológica, Hospital Clinico de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Introduction: Carbonic anhydrases (CAs), a group of ubiquitously expressed metalloenzymes, are involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes, including tumorigenicity. Specifically, CA-IX has been primarily found in hypoxic tumor tissues.

Material And Methods: This is a retrospective study of tumors from the Tissue Bank of the Pathology Department of the University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2012 Aug 14;41(7):559-67. Epub 2012 Mar 14.

Medicine and Oral Surgery Department, Dental Sciences Group-Health Sciences Research Centre, Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde Norte, Paredes, Portugal.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the expression of several molecules that regulate growth, the cell cycle and signalling pathways including EGFR, p53, p16 and p27 in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). We examined their utility as prognostic markers by relating to clinicopathological characteristics and the clinical outcome.

Patients And Methods: Using tissue microarray technology, we analysed 67 primary OSCC and examined immunohistochemical expression of EGFR, p53, p16 and p27. Read More

Pathol Oncol Res 2011 Sep 9;17(3):765-9. Epub 2011 May 9.

Department of Stomatology, First People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Recent studies have determined that gene expression profiling using microarray technology can be used to identify tumor-related molecules. The objective of this study was to screen the differentially expressed genes between pleomorphic adenoma (PA) and the normal tissue adjacent to PA using cDNA microarrays and to further validate the differentially expressed genes by real-time PCR. In this study, we selected five pairs of PA and the surrounding normal salivary gland tissues. Read More

J Nucl Med 2011 Feb 13;52(2):231-40. Epub 2011 Jan 13.

Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.

Unlabelled: The RET (rearranged-during-transfection protein) protooncogene triggers multiple intracellular signaling cascades regulating cell cycle progression and cellular metabolism. We therefore hypothesized that metabolic imaging could allow noninvasive detection of response to the RET inhibitor vandetanib in vivo.

Methods: The effects of vandetanib treatment on the full-genome expression and the metabolic profile were analyzed in the human medullary thyroid cancer cell line TT. Read More

PLoS One 2010 Nov 30;5(11):e15074. Epub 2010 Nov 30.

Department of Systems Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America.

Background: Despite many attempts to establish pre-treatment prognostic markers to understand the clinical biology of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), validated clinical biomarkers or parameters remain elusive. We generated and analyzed tumor transcriptome to develop a practical biomarker prognostic signature in EAC.

Methodology/principal Findings: Untreated esophageal endoscopic biopsy specimens were obtained from 64 patients undergoing surgery and chemoradiation. Read More

Biomark Med 2010 Aug;4(4):571-80

University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

One of the major challenges in the head and neck oncology clinic is the need to identify biomarkers and/or gene expression signatures that complement, strengthen and increase the sensitivity and specificity of the current clinicopathologic analyses. Microarray analysis of head and neck tumors has demonstrated that the combined influence of many genes or biomarkers can make superior identifiers and/or predictors of tumor behavior and patient outcome. Here, an update of the recent literature on the prognostic and predictive value of microarrays for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas is presented. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2010 Sep;224(3):612-9

Department of Reproduction and Ageing, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

Two systems biology concepts, genomics and proteomics, are highlighted in this review. These techniques are implemented to optimize the use of thyroid tumor markers (TTM). Tissue microarray studies can produce genetic maps and proteomics, patterns of protein expression of TTM derived from preoperative biopsies and specimens. Read More

HNO 2010 Jul;58(7):713-23; quiz 724-5

Universitäts-Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen.

Classical prognostic factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) are based on general parameters such as tumor stage or histological grading and only allow for a rough estimation of the clinical course. However, predicting individual responses to treatment remains challenging and diverging clinical courses of same-stage HNSCC stage remain obscure. The need for a better understanding of the individual genomic or proteomic signature of HNSCC resulted in a great number of publications on novel biomarkers. Read More

Anticancer Res 2010 Apr;30(4):1065-70

Department of General, Visceral, and Children's Surgery, Universitaetsklinikum Duesseldorf, Heinrich Heine Universitaet, Duesseldorf, Germany.

In spite of endoscopic surveillance programs, 90% of patients initially presenting with Barrett's carcinoma have locally advanced disease. In these patients, preoperative chemotherapy increases the chance of a curative resection in responding patients. Unfortunately, response occurs in only 50% of patients after chemotherapy with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin. Read More

Int J Cancer 2011 Feb;128(4):753-62

Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a human malignant tumor with a high incidence and a poor prognosis in Southern China and South-eastern Asia. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the gene expression profiles in 24 samples of primary differentiated-type nonkeratining NPC (DNK-NPC) tissues, 24 samples of normal nasopharyngeal tissues and 4 DNK-NPC cell lines using cDNA microarray technology and bioinformatics methods. We found expression level of some genes was wildly alerted in the DNK-NPC samples. Read More

Indian J Cancer 2010 Apr-Jun;47(2):166-72

Department of Oral Pathology, Manipal College of Dental Science, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka 576 104, India.

Background: An intriguing aspect of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas (OSCC) is its behavioral disparity. Among patients who present with the similar clinicopathological features, some have a better prognosis than others. Identification of molecular alterations responsible for this may contribute to a greater understanding of tumor behavior. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2010 Aug 14;39(7):571-8. Epub 2010 Feb 14.

Department of Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Paredes, Portugal.

Objective: Our aim was to validate the use of tissue microarrays (TMA) in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) to analyse epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Ki-67 expression. We also analysed the relationship that the expression of these markers may have with clinical, pathological and survival variables.

Patients And Methods: The study sample comprised 39 unselected patients diagnosed and treated for OSCC. Read More

Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2009 Sep;9(9):1251-60

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, including laryngeal cancer, is considered to progress from dysplasia to invasive cancer through well-defined clinical and histological stages. Numerous genetic alterations have been described in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, but the molecular mechanisms contributing to initiation and progression of laryngeal cancer are still poorly understood. Genomic, transcriptomic and protein alterations in laryngeal cancer progression are key areas for the current research aimed at finding instruments for classification, prognostication and patient-tailored treatment. Read More

Head Neck Oncol 2009 Jul 14;1:27. Epub 2009 Jul 14.

Tumor Vaccines and Biotechnology Branch, Division of Cellular and Gene Therapies, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Background: Human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive and recurrent malignancy. Identification of unique or overexpressed cell-associated or cell surface antigens is critical for diagnosis and development of cancer vaccines and targeted therapies for HNSCC. We have used high throughput microarray technology to search for candidate targets in HNSCC. Read More

Neurosurgery 2009 May;64(5 Suppl 2):288-93; discussion 294-5

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, USA.

Objective: We describe a novel 3-dimensional (3-D) stereoendoscope and discuss our early experience using it to provide improved depth perception during transsphenoidal pituitary surgery.

Methods: Thirteen patients underwent endonasal endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery. A 6. Read More

Dis Esophagus 2010 Jan 15;23(1):1-7. Epub 2009 Apr 15.

Department of Surgery, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

The establishment of biorepositories, linked to clinical and epidemiologic data, are central to the goals of personalized medicine and individualized cancer therapy. Repositories of DNA, RNA, and serum samples are valuable resources for cancer research, enabling the investigation of the underlying causes of cancer development, progression, and prognosis, as well as providing a resource for the investigation of biomarkers for early detection and prediction of response. With a greater reliance on sample-derived data for molecular-based research and clinical care, improved standards and informatics for sample procurement, storage, and analysis are necessary to maximize the value of tissue collection for research participants, investigators, and academic medical centers. Read More

Histol Histopathol 2008 10;23(10):1213-22

Department of Dental Laboratory Technology, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan.

We used suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and oligonucleotide microarray to differentiate expression profiles of metastasis-related genes and to evaluate their clinical significance in patients with invasive oral cancer (OCa). Overexpression of the specific genes was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Cells expressing the gene were identified by immunohistochemistry in pathology specimens. Read More

Oncology 2007 30;73(5-6):366-75. Epub 2008 May 30.

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Objectives: Gene expression profiling using pretreatment biopsies has been limited due to their small sample sizes. This study evaluated the usefulness of an ultrasensitive new DNA microarray chip, which has a unique array structure, for the clinical diagnosis of esophageal cancer using preoperative biopsies.

Methods: Paired cancer and normal esophageal epithelial tissues from 56 patients who underwent esophagectomy and from 48 patients who underwent preoperative endoscopy were studied. Read More

Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2007 Nov;7(7):613-22

Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University Winship Cancer Institute, 1365 Clifton Road, Building C, Suite C3086, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

Head and neck (HN) cancer is a significant health-care problem worldwide. One of the major prognostic factors for squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC) is metastasis. Early detection of lymph node metastasis and the identification of key protein targets for the treatment of metastatic HNSCC remain a challenge in current cancer research. Read More

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2007 ;69(2 Suppl):S122-4

Division of Applied Molecular Oncology, Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a unique malignant epithelial carcinoma of the head-and-neck region, with unique viral biology and geographic distributions in the world. Significant advances have been made in the clinical therapies for NPC, with novel techniques for radiation delivery and randomized trials demonstrating the survival advantage of concurrent chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced diseases. At the same time, there has been an improved understanding of the molecular dysregulations underpinning this disease, with recent discoveries emerging from the use of high-throughput technologies, including microarray expression profiling and robotic screens of chemical libraries. Read More

Curr Opin Gastroenterol 2007 Jul;23(4):456-61

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Purpose Of Review: This article reviews developments in pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of esophageal cancer published in 2006.

Recent Findings: Gene expression profiles in esophageal adenocarcinoma reveal information on its pathogenesis. One study disputed the UK guideline to perform upper endoscopy only in the presence of alarm symptoms. Read More

Cancer Sci 2007 May 28;98(5):740-6. Epub 2007 Mar 28.

Department of Molecular Genetics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.

An accurate assessment of the cervical lymph node metastasis status in oral cavity cancer not only helps predict the prognosis of patients, but also helps surgeons to perform the appropriate treatment. We investigated the utilization of microarray technology focusing on the differences in gene expression profiles between primary tumors of oral squamous cell carcinoma that had metastasized to cervical lymph nodes and those that had not metastasized in the hope of finding new biomarkers to serve for diagnosis and treatment of oral cavity cancer. To design this experiment, we prepared two groups: the learning case group with 30 patients and the test case group with 13 patients. Read More

Clin Cancer Res 2006 Oct;12(20 Pt 1):5960-71

Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.

Purpose: Oral cancer is a major health problem worldwide and in the U.S. The 5-year survival rate for oral cancer has not improved significantly over the past 20 years and remains at approximately 50%. Read More