Endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitors in recurrent metastatic cancer of the head and neck.

Targeted therapy has become an important new class of therapeutic agents used in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Among them epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors have been studied the most. Today, two classes of EGFR inhibitors are routinely used in the clinic; anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors of the EGFR tyrosine kinase activity. These agents have been used clinically in the recurrent metastatic (R/M) settings but only cetuximab has reached a regulatory approval. Current research is focused on innovative compound design, predictive biomarker discovery, and combination strategies in order to overcome resistance. Efforts should also be focused on endpoints other than overall survival, which is the current gold standard, such as surrogate endpoints. This article summarizes the clinical evidence of the anticancer activity of EGFR inhibitors in patients with R/M SCCHN, and analyzes the current, controversial clinical issues with respect to their interpretation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E2221-E2228, 2016.

Evaluation of polymorphisms in microRNA biosynthesis genes and risk of laryngeal cancer in the Polish population.

MicroRNAs are the largest group of short regulatory RNAs. They regulate genes participating in many physiological and pathological processes. The role of micro RNAs in cancer development is also considerable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between DROSHA (rs6877842) and DGCR8 (rs417309, rs1640299) gene polymorphisms with risk of occurrence of laryngeal cancer. The study included 100 patients and 100 healthy subjects. Genomic DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Analysis of the gene polymorphisms was performed using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay. The rs417309 AA genotype was found to be correlated with increased risk of larynx cancer. The rs1640299 TG and rs6877842 CG heterozygotes were significantly inversely associated with the presence of larynx cancer. Additionally, rs417309 AA genotype increased the risk of larynx cancer in the T1 stage, and the rs1640299 TG heterozygote occurred more frequently in the control group than those in the T3 and T4 stage. The rs417309 and rs1640299 polymorphisms of the DGCR8 gene as well as rs6877842 of the DROSHA gene might be associated with a risk of laryngeal cancer occurrence in the Polish population.