Molecular Pathogenesis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Oral carcinogenesis is a molecular and histological multistage process featuring genetic and phenotypic molecular markers which involves enhanced function of several protooncogenes, oncogenes and/or the deactivation of tumor suppressor genes, resulting in the over activity of growth factors and its cell surface receptors, which could enhance messenger signaling intracellularly, and/or leads to the increased production of transcription factors. Alone oncogenes are not responsible for carcinogenesis, genes having tumor suppressor activity, leads to a phenotypic change in cell which is responsible for increased cell proliferation, loss of cellular cohesion, and the ability to infiltrate local tissue and spread to distant sites. Understanding the molecular interplay of both onco and tumor genes will allow more accurate diagnosis and assessment of prognosis, which might lead the way for novel approaches to treatment.