Increasing OC rates call for more research

According to the American Cancer Society, oral cancer (OC) has increased by 21 per cent in the last five years, while new cancers of all types have risen by 8 per cent. Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is one of the most common types of OC and has increased by more than 37 per cent in this period. Although overall cancer deaths decreased during this period, those due to OC increased by 4 per cent and those due to TSCC by 10 per cent. According to Cancer Research UK, while female OC rates have remained significantly lower than male rates, incidence trends have been similar, with an average increase of 3 per cent each year since 1989. It is well documented that this increase in OC is largely due to lifestyle, with smoking and heavy alcohol consumption significantly increasing the risk of an individual developing the disease.

However, new research by scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) may help in the fight against this ever-increasing cancer. According to the researchers, the spread of cancer cells in the tongue may be reduced if a gene that regulates cancer cell migration can be controlled. Dr Xiaofeng Zhou, assistant professor in the UIC Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases, led the study and believes that OC is an under-treated and poorly-understood disease, noting that improvements in patient survival require better understanding of tumour invasion and how the cancer spreads.

The study, which was published in the 1st August issue of the International Journal of Cancer (2010;127:505-512), examined a non-coding gene, called miR-138, and demonstrated that a reduced level of it is associated with enhanced ability of TSCC cells to spread. Previously, the same team reported that reduced miR-138 level is correlated with enhanced metastatic potential in TSCC cells. In the current study, it was demonstrated that miR-138 suppresses TSCC cell migration and invasion by regulating two key genes in the Rho GTPase signalling pathway, RhoC and ROCK2. The scientists believe that miR-138 may serve as a novel therapeutic target for TSCC patients at risk of metastatic disease.

Further, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers recently discovered a biomarker, called human beta defensin-3, which may serve as an early warning to OC. The defensin is present in all OCs and associated with the early stages of the disease. It is thought that using the biomarker to detect OC holds potential for saving lives when the cancer is most curable.

The increasing prevalence of OC highlights the need for more work like this to be conducted. Research such as that carried out by UIC and Case Western may mean that aggressive tumours can be detected early and targeted therapies can eventually be developed in the fight against this disease.

Alice Rossiter
Editor, Cancer Drug News