dna analysis of tissue samples from patients with head and neck cancer

Conditions: Head and Neck Cancer

Summary: rationale: studying samples of tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in dna and identify biomarkers related to cancer. purpose: this laboratory study is looking at dna in tissue samples from patients with head and neck cancer.

objectives: * assess common genetic mutations in tumor and germline dna samples from patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (hnscc). * search for viral dnas and relate this information to demographics, tumor characteristics, and patient prognosis. * search for novel viral sequences and cancer-associated gene mutations in young nonsmoking hnscc patients and in other distinct head and neck cancers. * determine tumor suppressor gene mutations in hnscc patients and relate this information to gene expression data. * validate gene expression information using independent techniques such as real-time pcr on expressed sequences and immunohistochemistry. outline: genetic mutation analysis and gene expression studies are performed on tissue samples from patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. techniques used include real time-pcr and immunohistochemistry.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * patient with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (hnscc) enrolled in the head and neck tissue repository * sufficient biological material collected to perform study tests * historical material available from excess tissues at the vanderbilt pathology department exclusion criteria: * not specified prior concurrent therapy: * not specified

Keywords: stage i squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx stage ii squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx stage iii squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx stage iv squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx stage i squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx stage ii squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx stage iii squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx stage iv squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx stage i squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity stage ii squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity stage iii squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity stage iv squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the lip and oral cavity metastatic squamous neck cancer with occult primary squamous cell carcinoma recurrent metastatic squamous neck cancer with occult primary untreated metastatic squamous neck cancer with occult primary stage i squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx stage ii squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx stage iii squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx stage iv squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx stage i squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx stage ii squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx stage iii squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx stage iv squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx stage i squamous cell carcinoma of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity stage ii squamous cell carcinoma of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity stage iii squamous cell carcinoma of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity stage iv squamous cell carcinoma of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity salivary gland squamous cell carcinoma stage i salivary gland cancer stage ii salivary gland cancer stage iii salivary gland cancer stage iv salivary gland cancer recurrent salivary gland cancer