title: Identification of new candidate therapeutic target genes in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed at identifying druggable molecular alterations at the RNA level from untreated HNSCC patients, and assessing their prognostic significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrieved 96 HNSCC patients who underwent primary surgery. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to analyze a panel of 42 genes coding for major druggable proteins. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the prognostic significance of overexpressed genes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age was 56 years [35-78]. Most of patients were men (80%) with a history of alcohol (70.4%) and/or tobacco consumption (72.5%). Twelve patients (12%) were HPV-positive. Most significantly overexpressed genes involved cell cycle regulation (CCND1 [27%], CDK6 [21%]), tyrosine kinase receptors (MET [18%], EGFR [14%]), angiogenesis (PGF [301%], VEGFA [14%]), and immune system (PDL1/CD274 [28%]). PIK3CA expression was an independent prognostic marker, associated with shorter disease-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified druggable overexpressed genes associated with a poor outcome that might be of interest for personalizing treatment of HNSCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint-Cloud, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Paule
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Sablin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint-Cloud, France.|Unit of Pharmacogenomics, Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Coraline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dubot
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopathology, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klijanienko
authors.affiliation: Unit of Pharmacogenomics, Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vacher
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopathology, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Lamia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ouafi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Pharmacogenomics, Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Walid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chemlali
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopathology, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Martial
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caly
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopathology, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sastre-Garau
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopathology, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lappartient
authors.affiliation: Department of Biopathology, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Odette
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jouffroy
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Angélique
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Girod
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Calugaru
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Unit of Pharmacogenomics, Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Rosette
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lidereau
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, Paris, France.|Department of Biostatistics, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Frédérique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint-Cloud, France.
authors.forename: Maud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamal
authors.affiliation: Unit of Pharmacogenomics, Department of Genetics, Institut Curie, Paris, France.|EA7331, Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bieche
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris and Saint-Cloud, France.|EA7285, Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University, Versailles, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Le Tourneau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D051361:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6 / Q000235:genetics; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; C484760:PIK3CA protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met; C495911:CDK6 protein, human; D051361:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6
keywords: clinical prognostic and theranognostic biomarkers; gene expression; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma