• Chemotherapy
• HNSCC
• Head-and-neck cancer
• Radiotherapy
• Young

• Humans
• Male
• Female
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/radiotherapy
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/mortality
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/pathology
• Middle Aged
• Head and Neck Neoplasms/radiotherapy
• Head and Neck Neoplasms/mortality
• Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology
• Adult
• Risk Factors
• Matched-Pair Analysis
• Survival Rate
• Retrospective Studies
• Chemoradiotherapy/mortality
• Aged
• Young Adult
• Prognosis

• Universität Leipzig (1039)

• Dental students
• HPV infection
• Knowledge
• dental interns
• oral cancer

• Humans
• Students, Dental/psychology
• Students, Dental/statistics & numerical data
• Female
• Male
• Papillomavirus Infections/psychology
• Papillomavirus Infections/virology
• Papillomavirus Infections/epidemiology
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Saudi Arabia/epidemiology
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Mouth Neoplasms/virology
• Mouth Neoplasms/psychology
• Mouth Neoplasms/epidemiology
• Papillomaviridae/isolation & purification
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Adult
• Young Adult
• Internship and Residency
• Follow-Up Studies
• Human Papillomavirus Viruses

• head and neck cancer
• health economics
• oral cancer

• Aged
• Female
• Male
• Humans
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/epidemiology
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/therapy
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
• Mouth Neoplasms/epidemiology
• Mouth Neoplasms/therapy
• Adjuvants, Immunologic
• Educational Status
• Head and Neck Neoplasms

The number of patients under the age of 45 diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) is increasing, probably due to the incidence of oropharyngeal cancers. Comparisons of HNSCC in young and old patients regarding tumor site and survival in sample sizes of relevance are rarely published. The aim of the study was to analyze the differences in survival between age groups dependent on tumor site and the influence of oropharyngeal cancers on the rising rates of HNSCC in the young. The records of 4466 patients diagnosed with HNSCC were reviewed retrospectively. Patients younger than 45 years were divided further into four subgroups for specific age differences in the young. The influences of patient and clinicopathological characteristics on survival were assessed using Kaplan–Meier analyses. Among the patient cohort, 4.8% were younger than 45 years. Overall survival (OS) in these patients was better, with a 5-year OS of 66.1% (vs. 46.4%), while relapse-free survival (RFS) was better in the older patient population, with a 5-year RFS of 74.9% (vs. 68.1%). Decreased RFS in the young was found for advanced tumor stages and tumor sited at the larynx. Hypopharynx and advanced stages were independent risk factors for OS under 45 years. Overall, 44.4% of all HNSCC in patients under 30 years were nasopharyngeal cancers, and incidence decreased with age. The incidence of oropharyngeal cancers increased significantly with age. Better OS in the young may be explained by lower tumor and disease stages, whereas oropharyngeal tumors and HPV were not found to cause rising rates of HNSCC. Laryngeal malignancies in young patients might be related to an increased malignant potential and should, consequently, be treated as such.

• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology
• Head and Neck Neoplasms
• Humans
• Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
• Retrospective Studies
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

• disease-free survival
• overall survival
• prognosis
• relapse
• young

To assess in a cross-sectional study the impact of including dental professionals in the multidisciplinary treatment team of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients on the long-term oral health status.

Oral health status, dental care behaviours, and oral health–related quality of life were assessed based on a clinical and radiographic examination, interview, and medical records in patients treated for HNSCC ≥ 6 months ago. This patient group (‘cohort 2’) was treated in a multidisciplinary treatment team including dental professionals and compared to a group of HNSCC patients previously treated at the same university, but without dental professionals included in the multidisciplinary treatment team (‘cohort 1’).

Cohort 2 consisted of 34 patients, who had received a dental check-up and if necessary, treatment by dental professionals prior to the initiation of cancer treatment. This cohort showed significantly improved oral hygiene habits and a better periodontal health status compared to cohort 1. However, cohort 2 still presented high demand for treatment due to active carious lesions; only a few, statistically insignificant improvements were detected compared to cohort 1.

Including dental professionals in the multidisciplinary treatment team of HNSCC patients has a positive impact on patient oral health status—primarily in terms of periodontal disease—6 months and longer after finishing cancer therapy.

A team-based approach including dental professionals specialised in head and neck cancer improves oral health status.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00784-021-04276-x.

• Dental care
• Dental caries
• Head and neck neoplasms
• Periodontitis
• Quality of life

• age at diagnosis
• age distribution
• head and neck cancer
• proportional changes

The Special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1 (SATB1) is a genome organizer protein that controls gene expression of numerous genes by regulating chromatin architecture and targeting chromatin-remodeling/-modifying enzymes onto specific chromatin regions. SATB1 is overexpressed in various tumors. In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), SATB1 upregulation is correlated with TNM classification, metastasis, poor prognosis and reduced overall survival. In this paper, we comprehensively analyze cellular and molecular effects of SATB1 in a large set of primary cell lines from primary HNSCC or metastases, using RNAi-mediated knockdown in vitro and, therapeutically, in tumor xenograft mouse models in vivo. In a series of 15 cell lines, major differences in SATB1 levels are observed. In various 2-D and 3-D assays, growth inhibition upon efficient siRNA-mediated SATB1 knockdown depends on the cell line rather than initial SATB1 levels. Inhibitory effects are found to be based on cell cycle deceleration, apoptosis induction, decreased HER3 and Heregulin A&B expression, and effects on EMT genes. In vivo, systemic treatment of tumor xenograft-bearing mice with siRNAs formulated in polymeric nanoparticles inhibits tumor growth of two HNSCC xenograft models, resulting from therapeutic SATB1 reduction and concomitant decrease of proliferation and induction of apoptosis. In conclusion, SATB1 represents a promising target in HNSCC, affecting crucial cellular processes and molecular pathways.

• China
• docetaxel
• dose modified
• head and neck cancer

Genetic factors behind the increasing incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in young non-smokers are suspected, but have not been identified. Recently, rs6942067, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located upstream of the DCBLD1 gene, was found associated with non-smoking lung adenocarcinoma. To validate if this SNP is also implicated in HNSCC, participants of The Cancer Genome Atlas HNSCC cohort were investigated for rs6942067 status, associated DCBLD1 expression, and clinical characteristics. Occurrence of the rs6942067 GG genotype is significantly higher in young and in HPV negative non-smoking HNSCC than in other HNSCC. Additionally, rs6942067 GG is associated with higher DCBLD1 expression in HNSCC and patients with high DCBLD1 expression have a worse overall survival at three years, both in univariate and multivariate analysis. Furthermore, high DCBLD1 expression is associated with activation of the integrin signaling pathway and its phosphorylation with EGFR and MET. Collectively, these findings suggest that DCBLD1 plays a critical role in HNSCC and demonstrate an association between rs6942067 and clinical characteristics of young age and HPV negative non-smoking status in HNSCC patients.

• DCBLD1
• cancer susceptibility genes
• head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
• human papillomavirus
• rs6942067
• tobacco

• Attitude
• Early detection
• Education
• HPV-16
• Oral cavity cancer
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Tumor
• Vaccine

• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Female
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Male
• Mouth Neoplasms
• Papillomaviridae
• Papillomavirus Infections
• Papillomavirus Vaccines
• Students, Dental
• Surveys and Questionnaires

Pain is common among patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). However, there are very limited data on chronic pain among HNC patients treated with radiation therapy (XRT). In this retrospective study, we focused on the characteristics of chronic post-XRT pain in such patients. Post-XRT pain is common among HNC patients; however, we found discrepancy between frequency of treatment and frequency of chronic pain, suggesting poor documentation of pain in the medical records. Among patients who reported to have chronic post-XRT pain, most of them described having severe pain and used descriptors of neuropathic pain. Pharynx was the commonest site of cancer as well as the commonest site of cancer-related chronic pain; squamous cell carcinoma was the most frequent histological pattern, and opioids were used most often to treat such chronic pain. There was a significant association between chronic pain and number of sites of pain, and chronic pain was also associated with use of opioids.

• Black or African American/statistics & numerical data
• Head and Neck Neoplasms/etiology
• Head and Neck Neoplasms/metabolism
• Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology
• Health Status Disparities
• Humans
• Papillomaviridae/immunology
• Papillomavirus Infections/complications
• Papillomavirus Infections/virology
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/etiology
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/metabolism
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/pathology
• Tumor Microenvironment/immunology
• White People/statistics & numerical data

• U01 CA200466 NCI NIH HHS
• U01 CA185148 NCI NIH HHS
• P50 CA127297 NCI NIH HHS
• P30 CA036727 NCI NIH HHS
• P01 CA217798 NCI NIH HHS

• Clinicopathological data
• Oral cancer
• Squamous cell carcinoma

• Cancer stem cells
• HNSCC
• Metastasis
• Resistance to therapy
• Tumor initiating cells
• Tumor microenvironment

• HMGA1
• HMGA2
• HMGA pseudogenes
• carcinoma
• larynx
• microRNA

With the rapid advancement of regenerative medicine technologies, there is an urgent need for the development of new, cell-friendly techniques for obtaining nanofibers—the raw material for an artificial extracellular matrix production. We investigated the structure and properties of PCL₁₀ nanofibers, PCL₅/PCL₁₀ core-shell type nanofibers, as well as PCL₅/PCL_Ag nanofibres prepared by electrospinning. For the production of the fiber variants, a 5–10% solution of polycaprolactone (PCL) (M_w = 70,000–90,000), dissolved in a mixture of formic acid and acetic acid at a ratio of 70:30 m/m was used. In order to obtain fibers containing PCL_Ag 1% of silver nanoparticles was added. The electrospin was conducted using the above-described solutions at the electrostatic field. The subsequent bio-analysis shows that synthesis of core-shell nanofibers PCL₅/PCL₁₀, and the silver-doped variant nanofiber core shell PCL₅/PCL_Ag, by using organic acids as solvents, is a robust technique. Furthermore, the incorporation of silver nanoparticles into PCL₅/PCL_Ag makes such nanofibers toxic to model microbes without compromising its biocompatibility. Nanofibers obtained such way may then be used in regenerative medicine, for the preparation of extracellular scaffolds: (i) for controlled bone regeneration due to the long decay time of the PCL, (ii) as bioscaffolds for generation of other types of artificial tissues, (iii) and as carriers of nanocapsules for local drug delivery. Furthermore, the used solvents are significantly less toxic than the solvents for polycaprolactone currently commonly used in electrospin, like for example chloroform (CHCl₃), methanol (CH₃OH), dimethylformamide (C₃H₇NO) or tetrahydrofuran (C₄H₈O), hence the presented here electrospin technique may allow for the production of multilayer nanofibres more suitable for the use in medical field.

• Co-axial electrospinning
• Core-shell nanofibers
• Nanofibers
• Policaprolacotne
• Solution electrospinnning

The lack of information among the population regarding the existence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the lack of attention and expertise in examining the oral cavity of dentists and clinicians still remain very worrying and could explain the high incidence of OSCC. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of awareness of OSCC among 600 participants from Southern Italy.

A 13-question survey was prepared and distributed to 600 participants divided into two subgroups, the first one of 300 patients referring to the Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive, and Odontostomatological Sciences, University Federico II of Naples, for the treatment of dental pathologies, and the second one of 300 patients referring to the Department of Internal Medicine of the Second University of Naples for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Statistical analysis consisted in the calculation of percentages related to the answers given by patients. Comparison of percentages was after performed between the two subgroups.

Only 175 participants (29.1%) knew about the existence of pathologies which can affect the oral mucosa, and only 46 (7.6%) were aware that carcinoma can arise in the oral cavity; 345 (57,5%) stated that they had periodical dental visits, at least once a year but none of them stated they had a visit for the identification of oral carcinomas.

The data acquired must be taken into consideration to outline essential socio-healthcare educational projects on carcinoma and its risk factors, training programs to increase dentists and clinicians’ competences, and to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of oral carcinoma screening programs.

• Awareness
• dental education
• oral cancer
• oral squamous cell carcinoma
• prevention
• screening
• survey