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Abstract
Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer worldwide, representing more than a half million of the new cases every year. Due to high genetic and histologic diversity of head and neck cancers, their molecular pathogenesis is based on complex process including disorders driven not only by accumulation of genetic alterations, but also changes in epigenetic landscape. The epigenetic variations in HNC include DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNA activity and RNA methylation. Some of the epigenetic alterations promote cancer formation and progression by controlling the expression machinery. Consequently, those modifications can be used as biomarkers for clinical detection and surveillance of cancer and will reveal new therapeutic opportunities for cancer patients.
References
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