Title:Detection of Predictive Markers for Therapeutic Stratification of Salivary Glands Tumors
Volume: 15
Issue: 8
Author(s): Monica Cantile, Simona Losito, Francesco Longo, Gabriella Aquino, Gabriella Malzone, Franco Fulciniti, Francesco Caponigro, Renato Franco, Franco Ionna and Gerardo Botti
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Malignant salivary glands tumors, predictive markers, therapeutic stratification.
Abstract: Malignant tumors of salivary glands are rare lesions, often with poor prognosis. At present, surgery represents
the only therapeutic choice, whereas chemotherapy is employed as palliative treatment in advanced disease.
Over the years several molecular alterations associated with the pathogenesis and progression of the salivary glands tumors
have been well-characterized. Particularly, the mutational status and/or aberrant expression of certain markers, such
as EGFR, HER2, cKIT, BRAF and AR, also identified in some tumor histotypes of the salivary glands, currently represent
molecular targets for new and efficacious drugs routinely employed in the treatment of other neoplasias, such as breast,
lungs, GIST and melanoma.
The expression analysis of these biomarkers associated with histomorphological data, could then provide the oncologist
the opportunity to create a proper stratification of patients for customized therapies.
This review represents an overview of the lesions of the salivary glands best characterized in terms of molecular aspects,
focusing the attention on those markers and molecular alterations which can be important in the diagnosis as well as in the
therapeutic stratification of these tumors.
