Tumor Biology of Head and Neck Cancer

2.16.1 Name some risk factors that have been associated with H&N cancer. What are the suspected mechanisms for cell transformation?

2.16.2 What are the stages the normal cell cycle? How does disruption of the cell cycle lead to carcinogenesis? What is apoptosis?

2.16.3 What is loss of heterozygosity?

2.16.4 What are oncogenes and how are they involved in carcinogenesis?

2.16.5 Name some oncogenes that have been in identified in H&N cancer. Is there any data on to support their influence on malignant transformation?

2.16.6 What are tumor suppressor genes?

2.16.7 Name two suppressor genes in squamous cell carcinoma.

2.16.8 What viruses have been implicated in the pathogenesis of head and neck cancer and which cancer types are they involved in?

2.16.9 Discuss some of the unique behavioral risk factors and unique prognostic factors associated with human-papilloma virus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC)?

2.16.10 Do patients with HPV-positive OPSCC have improved outcomes compared to HPV-negative OPSCC patients? If so, does this improvement seem to be treatment modality-independent?

2.16.11 What oncogenes are involved in the thyroid cancer? What type thyroid cancer is it seen in?