Abstract
Head and neck cancer, the sixth most common type of cancer worldwide, is associated with a dismal prognosis that has minimally improved during the last few decades. Future advances in the treatment and prognosis of this fatal disease largely rely upon a better understanding of the molecular events that underlie tumor development and progression, allowing specific targeting of the involved molecules and pathways. In this context, recent efforts have revolved around a family of transcription factors known as STATs (signal transducers and activators of transcription). STAT proteins comprise a family of latent cytoplasmic transcription factors that become transiently activated in response to extracellular signals, leading to regulation of diverse physiological responses. There is compelling evidence that persistent activation of specific STAT molecules, especially Stat3 and Stat5, possesses oncogenic properties in a number of human cancers, including head and neck cancer. The presence of constitutively activated STAT molecules in cancer cells is mainly attributed to the dysregulation of upstream activating pathways and the aberration of negative regulatory mechanisms. The end result is induction of specific target genes that stimulate cell proliferation, prevent apoptosis, promote angiogenesis and facilitate tumor immune evasion. Therefore, targeting and disruption of oncogenic STAT signaling may theoretically be accomplished through various approaches, involving direct (e.g. interference with the various facets of STAT expression, activation or function) and indirect strategies (e.g. inhibition of upstream signaling events and enhancement or restoration of negative regulatory mechanisms). The availability of multiple potential targets for interruption of aberrant STAT signaling in cancer and the thus-far promising results have generated optimism for the clinical applicability of STAT targeting in head and neck cancer, which is the focus of this review.
Keywords: signal transducer and activator of transcription, head and neck, squamous cell carcinoma, targeting therapies for cancer
Current Cancer Drug Targets
Title: Targeting the STAT Pathway in Head and Neck Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Prospects
Volume: 4 Issue: 8
Author(s): N. G. Nikitakis, H. Siavash and J. J. Sauk
Affiliation:
Keywords: signal transducer and activator of transcription, head and neck, squamous cell carcinoma, targeting therapies for cancer
Abstract: Head and neck cancer, the sixth most common type of cancer worldwide, is associated with a dismal prognosis that has minimally improved during the last few decades. Future advances in the treatment and prognosis of this fatal disease largely rely upon a better understanding of the molecular events that underlie tumor development and progression, allowing specific targeting of the involved molecules and pathways. In this context, recent efforts have revolved around a family of transcription factors known as STATs (signal transducers and activators of transcription). STAT proteins comprise a family of latent cytoplasmic transcription factors that become transiently activated in response to extracellular signals, leading to regulation of diverse physiological responses. There is compelling evidence that persistent activation of specific STAT molecules, especially Stat3 and Stat5, possesses oncogenic properties in a number of human cancers, including head and neck cancer. The presence of constitutively activated STAT molecules in cancer cells is mainly attributed to the dysregulation of upstream activating pathways and the aberration of negative regulatory mechanisms. The end result is induction of specific target genes that stimulate cell proliferation, prevent apoptosis, promote angiogenesis and facilitate tumor immune evasion. Therefore, targeting and disruption of oncogenic STAT signaling may theoretically be accomplished through various approaches, involving direct (e.g. interference with the various facets of STAT expression, activation or function) and indirect strategies (e.g. inhibition of upstream signaling events and enhancement or restoration of negative regulatory mechanisms). The availability of multiple potential targets for interruption of aberrant STAT signaling in cancer and the thus-far promising results have generated optimism for the clinical applicability of STAT targeting in head and neck cancer, which is the focus of this review.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Nikitakis G. N., Siavash H. and Sauk J. J., Targeting the STAT Pathway in Head and Neck Cancer: Recent Advances and Future Prospects, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2004; 4 (8) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568009043332736
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568009043332736 |
Print ISSN 1568-0096 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5576 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Cancer Biomarkers and Potential Drug Targets: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Cancer biomarkers play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. They provide valuable information for cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment selection, and monitoring response to therapy. With advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput technologies, there has been an increasing interest in identifying and characterizing cancer biomarkers ...read more
Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Target Drug Resistant Tumors
With the development of disciplines such as chemical biology and molecular biology, the genes or proteins closely related to tumor occurrence and development have gradually become clear. Targeted therapies targeting these genes or proteins provide more effective methods for tumor treatment. Tumor targeted drugs generally only act on specific targets ...read more
ROLE OF IMMUNE AND GENOTOXIC RESPONSE BIOMARKERS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Biological biomarkers have been used in medical research as an indicator of a normal or abnormal process inside the body, or of a disease. Nowadays, various researchers are in process to explore and investigate the biological markers for the early assessment of cancer. DNA Damage response (DDR) pathways and immune ...read more
Targeting the battlefield between host and tumor: basic research and clinical practice on reshaping tumor immune microenvironment
Immune system protects host against malignant tumors through effector cells and molecules. Cancer development and its response to therapy are regulated by inflammation, which either promotes or suppresses cancer progression. Chronic inflammation facilitates cancer progression and treatment resistance, whereas induction of acute inflammatory reactions often lead to anti-cancer immune responses. ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
New Trends and Advances in Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging
Current Medical Imaging Compound Ranking Based on a New Mathematical Measure of Effectiveness Using Time Course Data from Cell-Based Assays
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening Imaging of Integrins as Biomarkers for Tumor Angiogenesis
Current Pharmaceutical Design New and Highly Potent Antitumor Natural Products from Marine-Derived Fungi: Covering the Period from 2003 to 2012
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Engineered Liposomes for Drug Delivery and Biomedical Imaging
Recent Patents on Nanomedicine Emerging Insight into MAPK Inhibitors and Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancer
Current Medicinal Chemistry Eicosanoids in Prevention and Management of Diseases
Current Molecular Medicine Relaxed Statistical Shape Models for 3D Image Segmentation – Application to Mandible Bone in Cone-beam CT Data
Current Medical Imaging The Immunohistochemical Assessment of HPV Related Adenocarcinoma: Pathologic and Clinical Prognostic Significance
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Purinome, a Complex Mix of Drug and Toxicity Targets
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications of Recombinant Antibodies:Targeting the Extra-Domain B of Fibronectin, A Marker of Tumor Angiogenesis
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Role of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Inhibitors in the Treatment of Solid Tumors
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Application of Diet-derived Taste Active Components for Clinical Nutrition: Perspectives from Ancient AyurvedicMedical Science, Space Medicine, and Modern Clinical Nutrition
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Anti-tumor Activity and Mechanisms of rLj-RGD3 on Human Laryngeal Squamous Carcinoma Hep2 Cells
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Editorial: The Importance of Case Reports and Case Series in Helping Diagnose Rare Diseases
Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews COX-2 Selective Inhibitors, Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibition and Anticancer Properties of Sulfonamides Belonging to This Class of Pharmacological Agents
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Polo-Like Kinase 1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Osteosarcoma
Current Pharmaceutical Design Altered Expression of microRNAs in Serum Extracellular Vesicles in Rats with Severe Burns during Shock Stage
Current Molecular Medicine Targeted Therapies in Gynecologic Cancers
Current Cancer Drug Targets PET-Evaluated Transport of [11C]Hydroxyurea Across the Rat Blood-Brain Barrier - Lack of Influence of Cyclosporin and Probenecid
Drug Metabolism Letters