Unraveling Cancer Lineage Drivers in Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Overview

Journal Pharmacol Ther

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2019 Dec 15

PMID 31836455

Citations 16

Authors

Yinglu Guan

Guan Wang

Danielle Fails

Priyadharsini Nagarajan

Yejing Ge

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cancer hijacks embryonic development and adult wound repair mechanisms to fuel malignancy. Cancer frequently originates from de-regulated adult stem cells or progenitors, which are otherwise essential units for postnatal tissue remodeling and repair. Cancer genomics studies have revealed convergence of multiple cancers across organ sites, including squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), a common group of cancers arising from the head and neck, esophagus, lung, cervix and skin. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on the molecular drivers of SCCs, including these five major organ sites. We especially focus our discussion on lineage dependent driver genes and pathways, in the context of squamous development and stratification. We then use skin as a model to discuss the notion of field cancerization during SCC carcinogenesis, and cancer as a wound that never heals. Finally, we turn to the idea of context dependency widely observed in cancer driver genes, and outline literature support and possible explanations for their lineage specific functions. Through these discussions, we aim to provide an up-to-date summary of molecular mechanisms driving tumor plasticity in squamous cancers. Such basic knowledge will be helpful to inform the clinics for better stratifying cancer patients, revealing novel drug targets and providing effective treatment options.

Citing Articles

Onco-Ontogeny of Squamous Cell Cancer of the First Pharyngeal Arch Derivatives.

Sat-Munoz D, Balderas-Pena L, Gomez-Sanchez E, Martinez-Herrera B, Trujillo-Hernandez B, Quiroga-Morales L Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(18).

PMID: 39337467 PMC: 11432412. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25189979.

Stromal cell-expressed malignant gene patterns contribute to the progression of squamous cell carcinomas across different sites.

Qi K, Li G, Jiang Y, Tan X, Qiao Q Front Genet. 2024; 15:1342306.

PMID: 39071777 PMC: 11272565. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1342306.

NAD+ Metabolism-Related Gene Profile Can Be a Relevant Source of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Biomarkers.

Minafo Y, Antonini D, Dellambra E Cancers (Basel). 2024; 16(2).

PMID: 38254798 PMC: 10814490. DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020309.

Spatial promoter-enhancer hubs in cancer: organization, regulation, and function.

Zhao J, Faryabi R Trends Cancer. 2023; 9(12):1069-1084.

PMID: 37599153 PMC: 10840977. DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.07.017.

An integrated genomic approach identifies follistatin as a target of the p63-epidermal growth factor receptor oncogenic network in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Oyelakin A, Sosa J, Nayak K, Glathar A, Gluck C, Sethi I NAR Cancer. 2023; 5(3):zcad038.

PMID: 37492374 PMC: 10365026. DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcad038.

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