More or Less

Collectively known as head and neck cancers, tumours in the throat, mouth and nose have a diversity of origins. Most are squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), beginning in so-called squamous cells (pictured, in grey, with immune T cells in red), that line surfaces like the respiratory tract. Some cancers, particularly on the base of the tongue or tonsils, are linked to infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), but most are unrelated; other risk factors include alcohol and tobacco consumption, and genetic abnormalities. In particular, researchers have identified specific areas of chromosome 9, where gains and losses of sections of DNA are associated with how the cancers respond to immune checkpoint therapy, a form of treatment that works by blocking signalling processes that normally protect cells from destruction by immune cells. Better understanding these genetic factors should lead to more personalised and effective care, for cancers that are often unresponsive to current treatments.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image by Rita Elena Serda from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
• Research by Xin Zhao and colleagues, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
• Image in the Public Domain
• Research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), November 2022