Hemoxygenase-1 Promotes Head and Neck Cancer Cell Viability.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a remarkably heterogeneous disease with around 50% mortality, a fact that has prompted researchers to try new approaches to improve patient survival. Hemoxygenase-1 (HO-1) is the rate-limiting step for heme degradation into carbon monoxide, free iron and biliverdin. We have previously reported that HO-1 protein is upregulated in human HNSCC samples and that it is localized in the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments; additionally, we have demonstrated that HO-1 nuclear localization is associated with malignant progression.

Heme Oxygenase-1 Has an Antitumor Role in Breast Cancer.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an enzyme involved in cellular responses to oxidative stress and has also been shown to regulate processes related to cancer progression. In this regard, HO-1 has been shown to display a dual effect with either antitumor or protumor activity, which is also true for breast cancer (BC). In this work, we address this discrepancy regarding the role of HO-1 in BC.