Progress in Precision Medicine for Head and Neck Cancer

Sanaz Vakili; Amir Barzegar Behrooz; Rachel Whichelo; Alexandra Fernandes; Abdul-Hamid Emwas; Mariusz Jaremko; Jarosław Markowski; Marek J Los; Saeid Ghavami; Rui Vitorino

doi:10.3390/cancers16213716

Progress in Precision Medicine for Head and Neck Cancer

Cancers (Basel). 2024 Nov 4;16(21):3716. doi: 10.3390/cancers16213716.

Authors

Sanaz Vakili¹, Amir Barzegar Behrooz¹, Rachel Whichelo^{1

2}, Alexandra Fernandes³, Abdul-Hamid Emwas⁴, Mariusz Jaremko⁵, Jarosław Markowski⁶, Marek J Los⁷, Saeid Ghavami^{8

9

10}, Rui Vitorino^{3

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada.
² Department of Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine-iBiMED, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
³ Guelph College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
⁴ Core Lab of NMR, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Makkah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Makkah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Laryngology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-027 Katowice, Poland.
⁷ Biotechnology Center, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland.
⁸ Academy of Silesia, Faculty of Medicine, Rolna 43, 40-555 Katowice, Poland.
⁹ Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute, Cancer Care Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada.
¹¹ LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
¹² UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal.

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of biomarkers for head and neck cancer (HNC), a prevalent but molecularly diverse malignancy. We detail the roles of key proteins and genes in tumourigenesis and progression, emphasizing their diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance. Our bioinformatic validation reveals crucial genes such as AURKA, HMGA2, MMP1, PLAU, and SERPINE1, along with microRNAs (miRNA), linked to HNC progression. OncomiRs, including hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-31-5p, hsa-miR-221-3p, hsa-miR-222-3p, hsa-miR-196a-5p, and hsa-miR-200c-3p, drive tumourigenesis, while tumour-suppressive miRNAs like hsa-miR-375 and hsa-miR-145-5p inhibit it. Notably, hsa-miR-155-3p correlates with survival outcomes in addition to the genes RAI14, S1PR5, OSBPL10, and METTL6, highlighting its prognostic potential. Future directions should focus on leveraging precision medicine, novel therapeutics, and AI integration to advance personalized treatment strategies to optimize patient outcomes in HNC care.

Keywords: biomarkers; genetic alterations; head and neck cancer; precision medicine; targeted therapy.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported within the scope of national funds from FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under iBiMED (UIDB/04501/2020 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007628) and the Cardiovascular R&D Center—UnIC (UIDB/00051/2020 and UIDP/00051/2020 (RV) and grant number BNW-1-044/K/3/B (J.M.)).