Invasion is required for development and spread of head and neck cancer (HNC) but unfortunately there are no strategies that effectively target invasion. This knowledge gap is due to limited progress in identifying and understanding the underlying mechanisms that control invasion. While progress has been made in establishing that epithelial to mesenchymal transition in HNC cells allows them to spread and become resistant to treatment, critical mechanistic links are unknown. It is also unclear which tumors will spread and become resistant to treatment. Given the continued poor survival of patients with HNC, this project will address the following questions: 1) what are the mechanisms that encourage HNC to spread; 2) how is HNC protected from radiation and who is at risk for developing resistance; and 3) how does HNC recur. This work will provide the foundation for novel mechanism-based treatment strategies to improve the survival of patients with HNC.
The proposed studies will develop a comprehensive understanding of the molecular pathways that control the spread and recurrence of head and neck cancer. This information will provide the foundation to appropriately select patients who will respond to existing treatments, and identify novel strategies to sensitize tumors to treatment. Ultimately this will improve survival of patients with head and neck cancer.
| Schmitd, Ligia B; Beesley, Lauren J; Russo, Nickole et al. (2018) Redefining Perineural Invasion: Integration of Biology With Clinical Outcome. Neoplasia 20:657-667 |
| Polverini, P J; D'Silva, N J; Lei, Y L (2018) Precision Therapy of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. J Dent Res 97:614-621 |
| Decker, A M; Taichman, L S; D'Silva, N J et al. (2018) Periodontal Treatment in Cancer Patients: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Curr Oral Health Rep 5:7-12 |
