About this Research Topic
Worldwide, head and neck cancer accounts for more than 500,000 cases and more than 300,000 deaths each year. Head and neck cancer can arise in the oral cavity, nasal cavity, throat (larynx, pharynx), and salivary glands, and approximately 90% of head and neck cancer is classified as squamous cell carcinoma. Despite the recent advancement in surgical technology and therapeutic modalities, the 5 year-survival rates for patients with head and neck cancer remains unacceptably low and there is an unmet need for effective treatment options for this cancer.
Precision medicine is an emerging and ideal approach for cancer treatment, where one-size-fits-all approaches may not necessarily improve clinical outcome. Precision medicine incorporates genetic variability, lifestyle, and environmental factor to select or develop the most effective treatments for a patient. It is the future of medicine as this approach could maximize the efficacy of the treatment, lower the side effects, and reduce medical costs. Cancer cells contain a subpopulation of stem cell-like or cancer stem cells (CSC) which are thought to cause treatment resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. Thus, understanding and targeting CSC holds significant promise to advance precision medicine as a strategy to improve outcome of cancer patients.
In this Research Topic, we invite authors to submit their original research and review articles that seek to focus on precision medicine, with a particular focus on cancer stem cells, to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for head and neck cancer. Studies of new drugs and biological agents that target cancer stem cells will also be considered. The articles can be basic, translational, or clinical studies. The Research Topic highly encourages the use of cell lines as well as animal models to support the findings.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
● Roles of cancer stem cells in head and neck cancer progression, treatment responsiveness, or prognosis.
● Identification and analysis of biomarkers for CSC to develop effective personalized oncology approaches.
● Using stem cell biology to design precision medicine for head and neck cancer.
● Association of genetic, environmental, or lifestyle factor in cancer stem cell.
● Innovative, efficient methods, assays, or imaging systems to detect cancer stem cells.
● Advancement in natural product research targeting cancer stem cell.
Precision medicine is an emerging and ideal approach for cancer treatment, where one-size-fits-all approaches may not necessarily improve clinical outcome. Precision medicine incorporates genetic variability, lifestyle, and environmental factor to select or develop the most effective treatments for a patient. It is the future of medicine as this approach could maximize the efficacy of the treatment, lower the side effects, and reduce medical costs. Cancer cells contain a subpopulation of stem cell-like or cancer stem cells (CSC) which are thought to cause treatment resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. Thus, understanding and targeting CSC holds significant promise to advance precision medicine as a strategy to improve outcome of cancer patients.
In this Research Topic, we invite authors to submit their original research and review articles that seek to focus on precision medicine, with a particular focus on cancer stem cells, to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for head and neck cancer. Studies of new drugs and biological agents that target cancer stem cells will also be considered. The articles can be basic, translational, or clinical studies. The Research Topic highly encourages the use of cell lines as well as animal models to support the findings.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
● Roles of cancer stem cells in head and neck cancer progression, treatment responsiveness, or prognosis.
● Identification and analysis of biomarkers for CSC to develop effective personalized oncology approaches.
● Using stem cell biology to design precision medicine for head and neck cancer.
● Association of genetic, environmental, or lifestyle factor in cancer stem cell.
● Innovative, efficient methods, assays, or imaging systems to detect cancer stem cells.
● Advancement in natural product research targeting cancer stem cell.
Keywords: Prognosis, Stem cell, Diagnosis, Head and Neck cancer
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
