Oncogenes related to head and neck cancer.

Cancer has been defined as a fundamental disorder of cellular growth control. Which arises in some cells through changes in genes (DNA-level: geneamplification, mutation and rearrangement) or their expression (RNA- and protein-level), and gives these cells a growth advantage in comparison to the surrounding cells. Since the last decade we know the identity of these genes and the nature of the changes they underwent in the cancer cell. Only a few of the known oncogenes play a role in head and neck cancer. These are the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), c-myc, the ras gene family, int-2, hst- 1 and bcl- 1. In some clinical disorders, like childhood neuroblastoma and breast cancer, oncogenes play already an important role in tumor staging as well as a prognostic parameter. The aim for the future is the therapeutic application of oncogenes better known as gene therapy.