Arachidonic Acid Metabolism and Its Implication on Head and Neck Cancer

Most of head and neck cancer (HNC) are squamous cell carcinoma. Recent advances in molecular biology have documented significant genetic differences between head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells and normal cells, leading to the development of potential new therapeutics and chemoprevention (Choi & Myers, 2008). Historically, the association between inflammation and cancer has been recognized. More recently, a number of chronic inflammatory diseases have been shown to be associated with a variety of human cancers, including HNC (Conroy et al., 2010; Fitzpatrick & Katz, 2010). The relationship between oral health and cancer has been examined for a number of specific cancer sites. Several studies have reported associations between periodontal disease or tooth loss and risk of oral, upper gastrointestinal, lung, and pancreatic cancer in different populations (Meyer et al., 2008). Cumulating evidences support the view that inflammatory mediators, some of that may downregulate DNA repair pathways directly or indirectly. Certain inflammatory mediators may affect on cell cycle checkpoints that result in the accumulation of random genetic alterations. These in turn lead to a genomically heterogenous population of expanding cells naturally selected for their ability to proliferate, invade and evade hose defenses (Colotta et al., 2009).