Copy Number Alterations Identify a Smoking-Associated Expression Signature Predictive of Poor Outcome in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

HNSCC is an aggressive neoplasm of the upper aerodigestive tract caused by exposure to tobacco, alcohol, and high-risk HPV infection (1,2). Over 66 000 new HNSCC cases and 14 500 deaths are predicted in the U.S. in 2021 (3) with five-year post-treatment survival near 65% (3). Cervical nodal metastasis is frequently found in HNSCC, and is an important prognostic indicator associated with late stage (American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage III/IV) disease in aggressive smoking-associated HPV-negative cancers (4,5).

Source: Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics - May 28, 2021 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Brenen W. Papenberg, James Ingles, Si Gao, Jun Feng, Jessica L. Allen, Steven M. Markwell, Erik T. Interval, Phillip A. Montague, Sijin Wen, Scott A. Weed Source Type: research