Defining the genomic landscape of head and neck cancers through next-generation sequencing.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized the field of genomics and improved our understanding of cancer biology. Advances have been achieved by sequencing tumor DNA and using matched normal DNA to filter out germ line variants to identify cancer-specific changes. The identification of high incidences of activating mutations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) amenable to drug targeting has been made, with clear distinctions between the mutational profile of HPV-positive and HPV-negative tumors. This wealth of new understanding undoubtedly ameliorates our understanding of HNSCC cancer biology and elucidates clear targets for drug targeting which will guide future personalized medicine.
Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Western University, London, ON, Canada; London Regional Cancer Program, London, ON, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
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Rizzo
M
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Black
J S
JS
Mymryk
J W
JW
Barrett
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AC
Nichols
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm
E6; E7; HPV; NOTCH pathway; PI3K/Akt pathway; cell cycle control; genomics; head and neck cancer; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; human papillomavirus; next-generation sequencing; sequencing; therapeutic targets