Risk Stratification System for Oral Cancer Screening.

Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer (oral cancer) is a deadly disease that is increasing in incidence. Worldwide 5-year survival is only 50% due to delayed intervention with more than half of the diagnoses at stage III and IV, whereas earlier detection (stage I and II) yields survival rates up to 80% to 90%. Salivary soluble CD44 (CD44), a tumor-initiating marker, and total protein levels may facilitate oral cancer risk assessment and early intervention.

Acceptability of a Rinse Screening Test for Diagnosing Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Among Black Americans.

Objective: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a debilitating and deadly disease. We evaluated an easy-to-administer and innovative rinse that assays soluble CD44 and total protein as HNSCC early detection markers. We examined whether the rinse was acceptable and whether the results would promote screening behavior.

CD44 interacts with EGFR and promotes head and neck squamous cell carcinoma initiation and progression.

Objectives: CD44 is a promising target for therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and has two defined roles in tumorigenesis: it is a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker and it promotes migration and proliferation through interaction with many signaling molecules. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of CD44 in HNSCC carcinogenesis.

Materials And Methods: The effects of CD44 in cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis and cisplatin resistance were studied by its overexpression in HNSCC cells.

Salivary protein and solCD44 levels as a potential screening tool for early detection of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a devastating disease usually diagnosed at a late stage when cure rates are 40%. We examined a simple and inexpensive molecular tool that may aid HNSCC detection.

Methods: Building on prior findings that total protein levels are elevated in 102 HNSCC cases versus 84 control subjects, we further analyzed these levels with respect to important risk and demographic variables and compared the results to soluble CD44 (solCD44).

Soluble CD44 is a potential marker for the early detection of head and neck cancer.

Introduction: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a devastating and deadly disease, largely because it is diagnosed in late stage. Cure rates, currently at 50%, could increase to >80% with early detection. In this study, we evaluate soluble CD44 (solCD44) as an early detection tool for HNSCC by determining whether it reliably distinguishes HNSCC from benign disease of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Characterization of CD44v3-containing isoforms in head and neck cancer.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a debilitating and deadly disease that is only cured 50% of the time. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in HNSCC progression may lead to earlier detection and improved cure rates. CD44 is a ubiquitous transmembrane glycoprotein comprising a family of alternatively spliced isoforms involved in cell migration and cell proliferation.

Superimposing polymorphism: the case of a point mutation within a polymorphic Alu insertion.

The COL3A1 Alu insertion is a member of the AluY subfamily. It has been found to be absent in non-human primates and polymorphic in worldwide human populations. The integration of the element into the human genome seems to have preceded the initial migration(s) of anatomically modern humans out of the African continent.

Salivary soluble CD44: a potential molecular marker for head and neck cancer.

Objective: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a debilitating disease which is cured only 50% of the time. If diagnosed early, survival rates could reach 80%, but there is currently no practical method for early detection. CD44 comprises a family of isoforms that, in certain tumors, are alternatively spliced and overexpressed in tissues and circulation.

Single-nucleotide variant in multiple copies of a deleted in azoospermia (DAZ) sequence - a human Y chromosome quantitative polymorphism.

The evolution of the deleted in azoospermia (DAZ) gene family supports prevalent theories on the origin and development of sex chromosomes and sexual dimorphism. The ancestral DAZL gene in human chromosome 3 is known to be involved in germline development of both males and females. The available phylogenetic data suggest that some time after the divergence of the New World and Old World monkey lineages, the DAZL gene, which is found in all mammals, was copied to the Y chromosome of an ancestor to the Old World monkeys, but not New World monkeys.