gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: A better understanding of the molecular alterations in different lesions of patients with primary and recurrent squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC) may help in defining the best treatment approach.

Methods: We performed a detailed molecular analysis of several tumor specimens obtained from 21 patients presenting with primary and recurrent HNSCC. Tumor specimens were analyzed for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and k-ras mutations by direct DNA sequencing. In addition, a genome-wide chromosomal copy number analysis was performed on DNA extracted from the various lesions using array-based comparative genomic hybridization.

Results: As expected, a similar pattern of chromosomal aberrations was observed in all cases examined, suggesting that they share the same clonal origin. In contrast, we identified different k-ras genotypes among the various lesions from the same patient. The EGFR status was also different between primary and recurrent HNSCC.

Conclusion: Our results indicate, that primary and recurrent HNSCC differ in their genetic profile in terms of k-ras as well as EGFR pathways. Different molecular (“targeted”) strategies are therefore necessary to treat patients with recurrent tumors.