Squamous cell carcinoma SCC of the head and neck continues to be a clinical challenge. Even with the use of modern therapeutic options, 50% of all patients will ultimately die of this disease.
Charis Eng, of the Genomic Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, and colleagues conducted a study to determine the extent of genomic alterations in the stroma (connective tissue) of head and neck SCC. The researchers found that tumor-associated stroma of head and neck SCC from smokers had a high degree of genomic alterations.
The authors said: “We hope that our genomic observations, which point to genomic regions that may harbor many genes, will guide future in-depth functional and mechanistic studies.
“Nevertheless, our current observations can be used to identify new biomarkers for prediction of clinical outcome and potentially novel compartments for targeted therapy and prevention.”