| Abstract: |
The field of experimental head and neck oncology continues to expand in both scope and meaningful observations. During the past year, research has focused intensively on factors responsible for disease development, genetic alterations that contribute to cancer progression, tumor growth factors and their modulation, and the biologic and clinical significance of cell-surface antigen expression. In the field of carcinogenesis, various dietary components that either promote or inhibited head and neck cancer development have been identified. Clinical trials that utilize various vitamins and their precursors such as β-carotene have been reported. Genetic studies have demonstrated that head and neck cancers are heterogeneous in their oncogene expression; potentially, a reflection of the differential effect of various environmental carcinogenic exposures. Finally, the relationship between modulation of normally occurring cell-surface antigens and tumor aggressiveness has been demonstrated by several investigators throughout the past year. Significantly, animal models and human clinical trials have demonstrated that modulation of cell surface components by biologic agents alters the behavior of head and neck cancer and its relationship to the host. |
