Early and Accurate Diagnosis and Regulatory Mechanism of Lymph Node Metastasis in Head and Neck Carcinoma

Head and neck cancers mainly arise from the mucosal epithelium of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx, and the main pathological type is squamous cell carcinoma. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) accounts for about 90% of all cases. For early-stage HNSCC patients, surgery or radiation therapy can result in a good outcome. However, most patients present with locoregionally advanced tumor and lymph node metastasis when initially diagnosed, leading to reduced overall survival. It is therefore important to explore new targets for early and accurate diagnoses, as well as understand mechanisms of regional lymph node metastasis so that innovative treatments for HNSCC may be developed. The metastasis of the cancer results from the complex interactions between multiple genes and proteins. Although several genes are well-known to be mutated, including P53, PTEN, VEGFR, MAPK, and a series of non-coding RNAs have been found to be involved in the progression and lymph node metastasis of many solid tumors, relatively fewer studies have been conducted which could be used for the accurate diagnosis. In addition, the comprehensive understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of lymph node metastasis in head and neck carcinoma remains unclear.

This Research Topic aims to provide the readers with a comprehensive insight as to how mutational genes and proteins participated in the development and progression of HNSCC, particularly in the regulatory mechanism of locoregional lymph node metastasis. These may include but are not limited to the following aspects:

1. Molecular mechanisms of lymph node metastasis in HNSCC
2. Genes associated with prognostic and/or predictive factors for HNSCC patients
3. Early and accurate diagnosis markers of lymph node metastasis in HNSCC
4. Role of non-coding RNAs in invasion and migration of HNSCC cells.
5. Biomarkers for targeted therapeutic approaches of lymph node metastasis in HNSCC patients.

Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation with an independent cohort of new cases will not be accepted in any of the sections of Frontiers in Oncology.