ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Oral Cancer: Update on Molecular Pathology, Mechanisms and Treatments

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 3129

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Engineering and Drug Developmental Sciences, Graduate School of Oral Medicine, Matsumoto Dental University, Shiojiri 399-0781, Japan
Interests: oral cancer; pathology; treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oral cancer is a generic term for the malignant tumors that occur in the stomatognathic region and is characterized as having multiple risk factors. The relationship between the incidence of oral cancer and lifestyle factors, such as diet, smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and oral hygiene habits, has been pointed out. Additionally, mechanical stimulation by prosthetic devices also triggers the incidence and development of oral cancer. Moreover, it has recently been reported that periodontitis and periodontopathic bacteria can be individual risk factors for oral cancer development. On the other hand, the oral cavity is covered with mucosal surfaces, consisting of squamous epithelia other than the teeth. Therefore, it also shows that more than 90% of oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas pathologically. This Special Issue provides an update on the situation of oral cancer (the possible mechanisms of incidence and development, diagnosis, biomarkers, and treatments that are based on the actions of and changes in molecules) from multiple perspectives, such as pathologically, bacteriologically, biochemically, molecularly, and pharmacologically.

Since IJMS is a journal of molecular science, pure clinical studies will not be suitable for our journal; however, clinical submissions that feature biomolecular experiments are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Norio Sogawa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oral cancer
  • mechanisms of incidence and development of oral cancer
  • metastasis
  • diagnosis
  • biomarkers
  • treatments (active ingredients, medicines, biomedicines, and gene therapy)

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 3355 KiB  
Article
Oral Cancer-Derived miR-762 Suppresses T-Cell Infiltration and Activation by Horizontal Inhibition of CXCR3 Expression
by Hsuan-Yu Peng, Chia-Wei Chang, Ping-Hsiu Wu, Li-Jie Li, Yu-Lung Lin, Michael Hsiao, Jang-Yang Chang, Peter Mu-Hsin Chang, Hsin-Lun Lee and Wei-Min Chang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(3), 1077; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26031077 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 897
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an immune-cold tumor characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment with low cytotoxic activity to eliminate tumor cells. Tumor escape is one of the initial steps in cancer development. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of cancer escape can help researchers [...] Read more.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an immune-cold tumor characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment with low cytotoxic activity to eliminate tumor cells. Tumor escape is one of the initial steps in cancer development. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of cancer escape can help researchers develop new treatment strategies. In this study, we prove the oral oncogenic miR-762 can suppress T-cell recruitment and cytotoxic activation in the tumor microenvironment (TME) through horizontal transmission from OSCC cells to adaptive immune T cells. Public database analysis and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to determine the prognosis and expression of miR-762 in OSCC. T-cell activation by flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, IL-12 secretion, and T-cell recruitment and cytotoxicity abilities were conducted in the miR-762 manipulation T-cell and OSCC-T-cell co-culture system. A luciferase reporter and CXCR3 protein expression were also carried out to validate the direct interaction between CXCR3 and microRNA (miR)-762. This horizontal transmission of miR-762 directly suppresses CXCR3 expression in T cells, inhibiting CXCR3-induced T-cell migration and downstream T-cell cytotoxic activity by disrupting AKT activation. Additionally, miR-762 transmission suppressed T-cell activation marker expression, T-cell proliferation, IL-12 secretion, and T-cell cytotoxicity. In conclusion, our findings reveal a novel miR-762/CXCR3 axis that regulates the immunosuppressive microenvironment in OSCC and may be a potential RNA-targeted therapeutic approach to restore the anti-tumor immune response in OSCC treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Cancer: Update on Molecular Pathology, Mechanisms and Treatments)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4040 KiB  
Article
Anti-CD44 Variant 10 Monoclonal Antibody Exerts Antitumor Activity in Mouse Xenograft Models of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas
by Kenichiro Ishikawa, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Tomokazu Ohishi, Guanjie Li, Tomohiro Tanaka, Manabu Kawada, Akira Ohkoshi, Mika K. Kaneko, Yukio Katori and Yukinari Kato
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(17), 9190; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179190 - 24 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1436
Abstract
CD44 regulates cell adhesion, proliferation, survival, and stemness and has been considered a tumor therapy target. CD44 possesses the shortest CD44 standard (CD44s) and a variety of CD44 variant (CD44v) isoforms. Since the expression of CD44v is restricted in epithelial cells and carcinomas [...] Read more.
CD44 regulates cell adhesion, proliferation, survival, and stemness and has been considered a tumor therapy target. CD44 possesses the shortest CD44 standard (CD44s) and a variety of CD44 variant (CD44v) isoforms. Since the expression of CD44v is restricted in epithelial cells and carcinomas compared to CD44s, CD44v has been considered a promising target for monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy. We previously developed an anti-CD44v10 mAb, C44Mab-18 (IgM, kappa), to recognize the variant exon 10-encoded region. In the present study, a mouse IgG2a version of C44Mab-18 (C44Mab-18-mG2a) was generated to evaluate the antitumor activities against CD44-positive cells compared with the previously established anti-pan CD44 mAb, C44Mab-46-mG2a. C44Mab-18-mG2a exhibited higher reactivity compared with C44Mab-46-mG2a to CD44v3–10-overexpressed CHO-K1 (CHO/CD44v3–10) and oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (HSC-2 and SAS) in flow cytometry. C44Mab-18-mG2a exerted a superior antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against CHO/CD44v3–10. In contrast, C44Mab-46-mG2a showed a superior complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) against CHO/CD44v3–10. A similar tendency was observed in ADCC and CDC against HSC-2 and SAS. Furthermore, administering C44Mab-18-mG2a or C44Mab-46-mG2a significantly suppressed CHO/CD44v3–10, HSC-2, and SAS xenograft tumor growth compared with the control mouse IgG2a. These results indicate that C44Mab-18-mG2a could be a promising therapeutic regimen for CD44v10-positive tumors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Cancer: Update on Molecular Pathology, Mechanisms and Treatments)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop