Adhesive Mechanisms Regulating Invasion and Metastasis in Oral Cancer

Abstract

It is the relentless invasion and growth into surrounding tissue that characterize oral squamous cell carcinoma. Metastasis is perhaps the most challenging and important aspect of cancer progression, in that it generally signifies limited survival and ineffective therapy. Inherent in metastasis is invasion, the process by which cells infiltrate into adjacent tissues, degrading basement membranes and extracellular matrix and disrupting tissue architecture and sometimes organ function. The factors that regulate these processes are complex and likely involve loss of the controls that are normally in place in physiologic tissue modeling. Adhesion receptors and their ligands are important in modulating not only invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells but also their survival and proliferation. Normal oral mucosal epithelial cells use integrins to maintain their anchorage to the basement membrane, whereas the formation of stratifying cell layers depends on the formation of intercellular adhesions mediated by cadherins. The process of squamous cell carcinoma invasion and dissemination requires active cell migration through the extracellular matrix with the simultaneous remodeling of intercellular adhesions. Integrins are clearly important in the invasive process, whereas intercellular adhesion receptors restrain invasion and promote a more differentiated phenotype.

Status of p16<SUP>INK4a</SUP> and E-Cadherin Gene Promoter Methylation in Moroccan Patients With Cervical Carcinoma

“…E-cadherin is the major cadherin expressed on the surface of normal epithelial cells (37). E-cadherin expression is reduced during tumor progression and metastasis, and associated with poor prognosis in a variety of cancers (38)(39)(40).…”

FOXC2 Expression is Associated with Tumor Proliferation and Invasion Potential in Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Moreover, previous studies reported that an alteration in the expression of adhesion-related molecules was associated with a poor prognosis in OSCC patients [5][6][7][8]. In addition, several tissue and biological markers have been identified as possible indicators of the tumor aggressiveness and metastatic capability of tumors 9 .…”

Overexpression of CRKII increases migration and invasive potential in oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…Moreover, it has been reported that an alteration in the expression of adhesion-related molecules is associated with poor prognosis in OSCC patients [5][6][7][8].…”