title: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in pregnant women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate oral cancer in pregnant women, a rare but therapeutically challenging patient subset.
  
  
  METHODS
  After institutional review board approval, an EMERSE search was used to identify all women treated at the University of Michigan from 1998 to 2010 with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) during pregnancy. This identified 4 patients with tongue cancer. Biomarkers and human papillomavirus (HPV) were assessed by immunohistochemistry and multiplex PCR/mass spectrometry, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two patients responded well to therapy and are alive more than 10 years after diagnosis; 2 patients died of disease. All tumors overexpressed EGFR and Bcl-xL, 3 of 4 overexpressed c-Met, both tumors that progressed overexpressed p53. All tumors were negative for HPV, p16, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biomarkers of aggressive tumors (high EGFR, c-Met; high Bcl-xL-low p53) did not correlate with outcome. Additional studies are needed to determine whether perineural invasion, delay in diagnosis, and p53 overexpression are factors in poor survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Eliassen
authors.forename: Samantha J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hauff
authors.forename: Alice L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Dafydd H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Jonathan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Walline
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stoerker
authors.forename: Jessica H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: Francis P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Worden
authors.forename: Avraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eisbruch
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Czerwinski
authors.forename: Silvana M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Papagerakis
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Chepeha
authors.forename: Carol R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bradford
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hanauer
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Prince
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D012307:Risk Factors; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor