M.W. Roomi, T. Kalinovsky, M. Rath, A. Niedzwiecki

Dr. Rath Research Institute, 1260 Memorex Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95050
Head and Neck Cancer, Avid Science 2017, pp 2-23

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which develops in the mucous membranes of the oropharynx, nasopharynx, larynx and hypopharynx, can metastasize to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes or lungs leading to poor prognosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-2 and -9, play critical roles in degradation of the extracellular matrix and their expression in head and neck carcinoma have been associated with progression and invasion of these tumors. In our studies we targeted various mechanisms of cancer by designing specific combinations of different polyphenols (PB) and combinations of polyphenols with vitamins and other micronutrients (NM).

The efficacy of these nutrient mixtures on tumor growth and cancer invasive parameters was evaluated in various head and neck cancer cell types: head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) FaDu, Fanconi anemia (FA) HNSCC OHSU-974, tongue SC-255 and thyroid SW-579 cell lines. We observed that NM and PB significantly inhibited xenograft tumor growth using FaDu and OHSU-974 cells lines. In addition, secretion of MMPs, invasion through Matrigel and migrations of head and neck cancer cells were down regulated by the nutrient mixtures studied. Furthermore, the nutrient mixtures significantly reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in head and neck cancer cells studied The review of our various studies investigating the efficacy of the vitamin/micronutrient and polyphenol mixture on various head and neck cancers show significant suppression of tumor growth, cell proliferation, MMP-2 and -9 secretion, cell migration and Matrigel invasion of these cancer cells. These results indicate that these non-toxic nutrient mixtures have therapeutic potential in prevention and treatment of head and neck cancers.

Running title: Nutrients modulate head and neck cancer progression
Key Words: xenograft tumor growth, cell viability, MMP-2 and -9 secretion, Matrigel invasion, cell migration, HNSCC FaDu, FA HNSCC OHSU-974, tongue SC-255, thyroid SW-579, nutrients
Access: http://www.avidscience.com/book/head-and-neck-cancer/