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EDITORIAL article

Front. Oncol., 31 May 2023
Sec. Cancer Genetics
This article is part of the Research Topic Molecular Landscapes of Human Papillomavirus-Related Squamous Cell Carcinoma View all 6 articles

Editorial: Molecular landscapes of human papillomavirus-related squamous cell carcinoma

  • 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
  • 2Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is among the leading etiologies of various malignancies (1), notably squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) which can arise at multiple anatomical sites including the cervix, anus, oral cavity, and oropharynx (25). Despite considerable progress in the prevention and management of SCC, it remains a highly lethal malignancy. Therefore, the exploration of novel methodologies and techniques to enhance early detection, prevention, and therapeutic outcomes for SCC has emerged as a pressing mandate.

As an emerging technological tool, data mining has been widely applied in the field of medicine. It can assist researchers in extracting valuable information from massive data, such as identifying the pathogenesis of cancer (6), recognizing patients’ risk factors (7), and predicting prognosis (8). Additionally, data mining can help discover novel treatment strategies and drugs, as well as optimize existing treatment regimens. In terms of SCC, Gao et al. evaluated the expression of KPNA2, its signaling pathways, and prognostic relevance in HPV+ tongue squamous cell carcinoma via data mining. In cervical cancer, Feng et al. investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms of different genes (EXOC1, BCL2, CCAT2, and CARD8) and susceptibility to cervical cancer using multiplex PCR combined with next-generation sequencing. In head and neck cancer, researchers integrated bioinformatics analysis and found that the expression of MDM2 mRNA and protein was significantly higher in HPV+ HNSCC than in HPV- HNSCC patients, suggesting that overexpression of MDM2 may interfere with the p53-related pathway and thus affect the occurrence and proliferation of HPV-related HNSCC (Bouzid et al.).

Despite these research papers published in this Research Topic can provide unique insights into HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma, research on HPV-related tumors faces many challenges and difficulties. Firstly, the relationship between HPV infection and tumor development is very complex, and its pathogenic mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Secondly, the clinical features and prognosis of HPV-related tumors are related to factors such as HPV viral type, tissue type, and immune status, making research difficult and heterogeneous. In addition, the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of HPV-related tumors also face many challenges, such as standardization and uniformity of HPV virus detection (9), individualization and precision of treatment plans, etc. Therefore, strengthening research on HPV-related tumors, exploring their pathological and physiological mechanisms, and developing more effective prevention and treatment strategies are of great significance for safeguarding public health and human health.

Author contributions

YS and JL wrote the manuscript. YS and JL edited the language. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: data mining, human papillomavirus, squamous cell carcinoma, biomarker, prognostic

Citation: Shen Y and Liu J (2023) Editorial: Molecular landscapes of human papillomavirus-related squamous cell carcinoma. Front. Oncol. 13:1215142. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1215142

Received: 01 May 2023; Accepted: 23 May 2023;
Published: 31 May 2023.

Edited and Reviewed by:

Heather Cunliffe, University of Otago, New Zealand

Copyright © 2023 Shen and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Jinhui Liu, jinhuiliu@njmu.edu.cn; Yujie Shen, 20111260024@fudan.edu.cn

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.