148
Views
25
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review

Molecular biology of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: relevance and therapeutic implications

&
Pages 1471-1484 | Published online: 10 Jan 2014
 

Abstract

More than 90% of all head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinoma. Despite advances in the management of patients with this disease, the survival rate has not been significantly improved. Several mechanisms of carcinogenesis have been elucidated and molecular targeted agents seem to be promising therapeutic tools. Cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody inhibitor of the EGF receptor, improves survival rates in association with radiotherapy in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) or in palliative disease, and is nowadays the only targeted agent approved in this indication. Other targeted agents are also clinically relevant to the treatment of different malignancies, including SCCHN. This article focuses on the major molecular pathways implicated in SCCHN carcinogenesis and provides an overview of their therapeutic implications.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Aileen Eiszele for editing this manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Jean-Pascal Machiels is a consultant for Genmab. Sandra Schmitz is supported by grants from the Fonds Spécial de Recherche (FSR) de l’Université Catholique de Louvain and the Fondation Saint-Luc, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc Louvain-La-Neuve in Brussels, Belgium. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 99.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 786.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.