Head and Neck Cancers Are Not Alike When Tarred with the Same Brush: An Epigenetic Perspective from the Cancerization Field to Prognosis.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are among the ten most frequent types of cancer worldwide and, despite all efforts, are still diagnosed at late stages and show poor overall survival. Furthermore, HNSCC patients often experience relapses and the development of second primary tumors, as a consequence of the field cancerization process. Therefore, a better comprehension of the molecular mechanisms involved in HNSCC development and progression may enable diagnosis anticipation and provide valuable tools for prediction of prognosis and response to therapy.

Upper Aerodigestive Tract Squamous Cell Carcinomas Show Distinct Overall DNA Methylation Profiles and Different Molecular Mechanisms behind WNT Signaling Disruption.

Upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) tumors present different biological behavior and prognosis, suggesting specific molecular mechanisms underlying their development. However, they are rarely considered as single entities (particularly head and neck subsites) and share the most common genetic alterations. Therefore, there is a need for a better understanding of the global DNA methylation differences among UADT tumors.

Multi-cancer V-ATPase molecular signatures: A distinctive balance of subunit C isoforms in esophageal carcinoma.

Background: V-ATPases are hetero-oligomeric enzymes consisting of 13 subunits and playing key roles in ion homeostasis and signaling. Differential expression of these proton pumps has been implicated in carcinogenesis and metastasis. To elucidate putative molecular signatures underlying these phenomena, we evaluated the expression of V-ATPase genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and extended the analysis to other cancers.

Overexpression of Figures as a Potential Prognostic Factor in Endometrioid Endometrial Carcinoma (EEC).

Endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EEC) are the most common malignant gynecologic tumors. Despite the increase in EEC molecular knowledge, the identification of new biomarkers involved in disease's development and/or progression would represent an improvement in its course. High-mobility group A protein (HMGA) family members are frequently overexpressed in a wide range of malignancies, correlating with a poor prognosis.

High-Resolution Melting (HRM) of Hypervariable Mitochondrial DNA Regions for Forensic Science.

Forensic strategies commonly are proceeding by analysis of short tandem repeats (STRs); however, new additional strategies have been proposed for forensic science. Thus, this article standardized the high-resolution melting (HRM) of DNA for forensic analyzes. For HRM, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from eight individuals were extracted from mucosa swabs by DNAzol reagent, samples were amplified by PCR and submitted to HRM analysis to identify differences in hypervariable (HV) regions I and II.

ERM/ETV5 and RUNX1/AML1 expression in endometrioid adenocarcinomas of endometrium and association with neoplastic progression.

The majority of endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EEC) is diagnosed at stage I. Among these, 30% present myometrial invasion (stage IB), which is associated with tumor spread and relapse after primary treatment. Although an increased expression of RUNX1/AML1 and ERM/ETV5 in EEC have been suggested to be associated with early events of myometrial infiltration, there is no data regarding its expression along the evolution of EEC and possible associations with other clinicopathological parameters.

HPV infection in Brazilian patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: interpopulational differences, lack of correlation with surrogate markers and clinicopathological parameters.

The role of HPV in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCCs) is controversial. Therefore, we determined, through different methodologies, the prevalence of HPV in 264 ESCC samples from Brazil, and correlated it with the presence of surrogate markers and clinicopathological characteristics. HPV is present in 13% of ESCC, and with a 3-fold variation between high and medium incidence areas.

Quantitative evaluation of SPRR3 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by qPCR and its potential use as a biomarker.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is highly fatal due to late diagnosis and inefficient treatment. Early disease detection could improve diagnosis and patient survival. Esophageal squamous epithelial cells express SPRR3, a member of the small proline-rich protein family, which is downregulated in ESCC.

Lower expression of p14ARF and p16INK4a correlates with higher DNMT3B expression in human oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common malignancies and is the sixth cause of cancer-related death in the world. Inactivation of cell-cycle regulating genes, such as p14ARF and p16INK4a, and cell adhesion genes, such as E-cadherin, is common in cancer, and results from genetic and/or epigenetic alterations. Therefore, we have analysed the mRNA expression of p14ARF, p16INK4a and E-cadherin in 17 matched ESCC and normal mucosal samples obtained from Brazilian patients by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.