A study looking for changes in genes that cause head and neck cancer (PREGO)

Cancer type:

Head and neck cancers

Laryngeal cancer

Mouth and oropharyngeal cancer

Nasal and paranasal sinus cancer

Oesophageal cancer

Status:

Results

Phase:

Other

This study looked at changes in genes that may have caused cancer to develop. The study was open to people with head and neck cancers apart from eye cancer.

More about this trial

Most head and neck cancers can take many years to develop. The stages they most often go through are:

normal tissue
abnormal tissue (precancerous )
early cancer (carcinoma in situ )
cancer that is growing into the surrounding tissues (invasive cancer )
cancer that may spread

The researchers wanted to collect samples of cells from all these stages to look at the genes Open a glossary item in them.

The aim of this study was to see if they could find any changes in genes that have caused head and neck cancer to develop.

Summary of results

The researchers have shown that the abnormal (precancerous) tissue has a considerable number of gene changes (mutations) in the cells. The number of the changes in the abnormal tissue does not predict whether cancer develops or not.
148 people took part in this study. They had squamous cell cancer Open a glossary item of the:

mouth
back of the mouth
inside of the nose and sinuses
voice box
food pipe

From each person the study team took:

a small piece of the cancer tissue (biopsy )
some cells from the area of cancer using a small brush
a mouthwash
a blood sample

The team looked at samples of tissue from the mouth that were:

normal
abnormal but not cancer (dysplasia )
cancer

The study team concluded they could identify changes in the genes of cancer cells that might cause cancer and further studies are needed to confirm their findings.

We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists (peer reviewed Open a glossary item ) but may not have been published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.