Document Type
Article
Department
Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer type globally and contributes significantly to burden of disease in South Asia. In Pakistan, HNSCC is anmong the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and females. The increasing regional burden of HNSCC along with a unique set of risk factors merited a deeper investigation of the disease at the genomic level. Whole exome sequencing of HNSCC samples and matched normal genomic DNA (n=7) was performed. Significant somatic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were identified and pathway analysis performed to determine frequently affected signaling pathways. We identified significant, novel recurrent mutations in ASNS (asparagine synthetase) that may affect substrate binding, and variants in driver genes including TP53, PIK3CA, FGFR2, ARID2, MLL3, MYC and ALK. Using the IntOGen platform, we identified MAP kinase, cell cycle, actin cytoskeleton regulation, PI3K-Akt signaling and other pathways in cancer as affected in the samples. This data is the first of its kind from the Pakistani population. The results of this study can guide a better mechanistic understanding of HNSCC in the population, ultimately contributing new, rational therapeutic targets for the treatment of the disease.
Publication (Name of Journal)
Genetics and Molecular Biology
Recommended Citation
Ghias, K.,
Rehmani, S. S.,
Razzak, S. A.,
Madani, S.,
Azim, M. K.,
Ahmed, R.,
Khan, M.
(2019). Mutational landscape of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in a South Asian population. Genetics and Molecular Biology.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_bbs/762
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
Volume, issue, and pagination are not provided by the author/publisher