Signaling Pathways in Squamous Cancer

Squamous epithelia form the lining surface of tissues in contact with the environment: the skin, oral mucosa, esophagus and respiratory tract, the genital tract, and several other specialized tissues. These tissues are at highest risk for exposure to environmental carcinogens such as UV, tobacco smoke and infectious agents. Cancers that form in squamous epithelia are among the most common human solid tumors and have high morbidity and mortality. These cancers include squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, oral cancer, head and neck and esophageal cancer, certain lung cancers and cervical cancer.

We propose to organize the book so that the early chapters will focus on individual pathways and more specific mechanisms in both normal function and cancer, while the later chapters will be more integrative and include overviews of biomarkers and therapeutic development. This should increase interest for clinically oriented researchers. All authors will be encouraged to provide a balanced review in addition to highlighting their own work.

Squamous epithelia form the essential lining surface of tissues in contact with the environment, including the skin, and mucosa of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, respiratory and genital tracts, and several other specialized tissues. These tissues are at highest risk for exposure to environmental carcinogens such as UV light, tobacco smoke, and infectious agents. Consequently, squamous cell carcinomas that form in these tissues are among the most common human solid tumors, and have high morbidity and mortality. The signaling pathways that regulate epithelial homeostasis and the alterations in these pathways that arise during cancer development share certain features among these different tissue sites. This book brings together timely reviews from experts in the field on mechanisms and signaling pathways such as EGFR, TGF1, NFB, PPARs and mTOR/AKT that regulate development of squamous cancer in both human and experimental mouse models, with a focus on how these specific signaling pathways can be utilized as targets for anti-cancer therapy. This comprehensive monograph will be important for researchers wishing to enter the field, for medical students, and for established basic and clinical investigators who would gain from an overview of the field.