Improving Survival in Oral Cancer by Disruption of Tumor Progression

摘要/项目摘要 侵袭是头颈癌(HNC)发展和扩散所必需的，但不幸的是有 没有有效针对入侵的战略。造成这一知识差距的原因是在确定和 了解控制入侵的潜在机制。虽然在建立 HNC细胞上皮细胞向间充质细胞的转变使它们能够扩散并对 治疗，关键的机械环节是未知的。目前也不清楚哪些肿瘤会扩散并成为 对治疗有抗药性。鉴于HNC患者的存活率持续较低，该项目将解决 以下问题：1)鼓励HNC传播的机制是什么；2)HNC是如何保护的 以及谁有可能产生耐药性；以及3)HNC是如何复发的。这项工作将提供 为新的基于机制的治疗策略改善HNC患者的生存奠定了基础。

ABSTRACT/ PROJECT SUMMARY 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.