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DNA methylation in tumour and normal mucosal tissue of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients: new diagnostic approaches and treatment

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Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. Long-term survival of this patient group has been marginally improved during the last 30 years. This is due to the high recurrence rate of local primary or development of second primary tumours in the patients. We found that normal-appearing surgical margins and distant mucosal tissue of HNSCC patients contained tumour suppressor genes DNA methylation. These cells might be the progenitors of the tumour recurrences. Such molecular abnormalities in the normal-appearing mucosa tissue were not possible to detect in the clinic or by standard histopathologically analysis. To improve clinical outcome, the convenient and cost-effective molecular analysis such as methylation-specific PCR should be added to the pathological diagnosis armamentarium for HNSCC patients. The beneficial effect of antimethylating agents as additional treatment or for cancer chemoprevention, in this high-risk patient group, warrants further investigation.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Jan Lundgren for practical help and David Lewin for editing the manuscript. This work was partially supported by an unrestricted grant from Jönköping cancer foundation and Futurum Ryhov Hospital, Jönköping.

Conflict of interest

None of the authors have any actual or potential conflict of interest, including any financial, personal or other relationships with people or organisation that could inappropriately influence this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ryhov Hospital, Jönköping, Sweden

    Nongnit Laytragoon-Lewin

  2. Swedish Match AB, Maria Skolgata 83, 118 85, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lars Erik Rutqvist

  3. Department of Oncology, Pl 4, Ryhov Hospital, 553 22, Jönköping, Sweden

    Freddi Lewin

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  1. Nongnit Laytragoon-Lewin
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  2. Lars Erik Rutqvist
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  3. Freddi Lewin
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Correspondence to Nongnit Laytragoon-Lewin.

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Laytragoon-Lewin, N., Rutqvist, L.E. & Lewin, F. DNA methylation in tumour and normal mucosal tissue of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients: new diagnostic approaches and treatment. Med Oncol 30, 654 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-013-0654-0

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