Abstract
Oral Cancer (OC) is one of the most recurrent cancers in the head and neck squamous cancer (SCCHN) category. Recently, the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have gained growing interest in the scientific community. GWAS have identified several pathways involved in the interactions among general risk factors and genomic variants affecting SCCHN. This systematic overview aims to critically evaluate the latest data reported within the scientific literature. The aim was to investigate the impact of genetic aspects on SCCHN onset and prognosis, involving other clinical and systemic co-factors. PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cancer Genetics Web databases have been systematically investigated for original articles published in the last two years, reporting studies on the main queries addressed in this work. This review also comparatively describes the impact of environmental and pathological co-factors in different types of cancers, clarifying and updating the role of genetic factors in SCCHN onset and development. The main outcomes reported may be helpful to drive clinicians towards their clinical evaluations for the most appropriate therapeutic approach in SCCHN.
Highlights
Many genetic and environmental factors play specific role in increasing the risk of developing cancer
Complex crosstalk between genetic and environmental factors, microbiological compounds, and patient’s biology, drives the onset of SCCHN. Lifestyle choices, such as tobacco smoking, or alcohol consumption, have been demonstrated to be severe risk factors for oral cancer, genetics play a primary role in its development
Individuals carrying specific genetic alterations have been linked to a higher risk of developing this class of diseases
Summary
Many genetic and environmental factors play specific role in increasing the risk of developing cancer. Foods and other substances introduced with the diet can increase the risk of oral cancer: alcohol consumption is correlated with a higher risk of developing head and neck cancer (Huber and Tantiwongkosi, 2014; Kumar et al, 2016; Siegel et al, 2016). Cancer of the oropharyngeal space located between the hyoid bone and the soft palate includes the tonsillar region, base of the tongue, soft palate and uvula and the posterior and lateral pharyngeal walls. All of these sites are considered at risk of developing OSCC of the head and neck (SCCHN) (Huber and Tantiwongkosi, 2014). More than 600,000 new oral cavity cancer cases have been estimated to occur each year, and the majority of cases are typically recorded in south-central Asian countries (Conway et al, 2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call