Molecular assessment of histopathological staging in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Article Abstract:

Molecular analysis of the tissue margins around surgically removed cancerous tumors may reveal infiltrating tumor cells that may increase the risk of local recurrence of cancer. A study of 25 patients with primary squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck who appeared to have had complete surgical removal of tumors found that in 13 patients, molecular analysis detected cancer in the margins around the removed tumor. Molecular analysis involves an assay based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which detects mutations of the p53 gene, the most common genetic change indicating human cancer. Standard analysis of tissue margins using light microscopy did not detect cancer in margins or in lymph nodes even though cancerous cells were actually present. The high rate of residual cancer cells in the margins correlated with the percentage of patients who have local recurrences after having head and neck tumors removed. A much larger area of tissue margins may be examined using molecular analysis than with the standard practice of using a microscope. Molecular analysis may assist in assessing each patient's stage of cancer.

Methods, Diagnosis, Cancer, Molecular biology, Tumor staging, Cancer staging, Head and neck cancer

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Association between cigarette smoking and mutation of the p53 gene in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Article Abstract:

Chemicals in cigarette smoke and alcohol may cause mutations in the p53 gene that can lead to head and neck cancer. Researchers took tumor samples from 102 patients with newly-diagnosed head and neck cancer and 27 patients with recurrent cancer and isolated and sequenced the p53 gene. Approximately 80% of the patients with newly-diagnosed cancer were current or former smokers. More than half also consumed alcohol regularly. Eighty-two percent of the patients with recurrent cancer smoked and 30% drank alcohol regularly. Almost half of the tumor samples from newly-diagnosed smokers had mutations in the p53 gene, compared to 14% of samples from nonsmokers. Fifty-five percent of the samples from moderate to heavy drinkers had p53 mutations, compared to 20% of the samples from nondrinkers. All of the mutations in nonsmoking nondrinkers were spontaneous mutations, but this was true in only 23% of the smokers' samples.

Causes of, Physiological aspects, Genetic aspects, Smoking, Drinking of alcoholic beverages, Drinking (Alcoholic beverages), Tumor suppressor genes

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TP53 mutations and survival in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Article Abstract:

TP53 mutations are analyzed in DNA from tumor specimens of patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck, as classified into two groups, disruptive and nondisruptive, to compare the mutational status with clinical outcome. Disruptive TP53 mutations in tumor DNA are associated with reduced survival after surgical treatment of squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

United States, Science & research, Research, Clinical report

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