Salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs) are rare neoplasms, representing less than 10% of all head and neck tumors, but they are extremely heterogeneous from the histological point of view, their clinical behavior, and their genetics. The guidelines regarding their treatment include surgery in most cases, which can also play an important role in oligometastatic disease. Where surgery cannot be used, systemic therapy comes into play. Systemic therapy for many years has been represented by polychemotherapy, but recently, with the affirmation of translational research, it can also count on targeted therapy, at least in some subtypes of SGCs. Interestingly, in some SGC histotypes, predominant mutations have been identified, which in some cases behave as “driver mutations”, namely mutations capable of governing the carcinogenesis process. Targeting these driver mutations may be an effective therapeutic strategy. Nonetheless, it is not always possible to have drugs suitable for targeting driver mutations—and targeting driver mutations is not always accompanied by a clinical benefit. In this review, we will analyze the main mutations predominant in the various histotypes of SGCs.
唾液腺癌是一种罕见肿瘤，占所有头颈部肿瘤的比例不足10%，但其在组织学特征、临床行为及遗传学背景方面表现出高度异质性。目前治疗指南多以外科手术为主，对于寡转移性疾病手术亦具有重要价值。当无法实施手术时，则需采用全身性治疗方案。长期以来全身治疗以联合化疗为主，而随着转化医学研究的深入，靶向治疗已成为部分唾液腺癌亚型的有效补充手段。值得注意的是，在某些唾液腺癌组织亚型中已发现主导性基因突变，其中部分突变可作为"驱动突变"直接调控癌变进程。针对这些驱动突变进行靶向干预可能成为有效的治疗策略。然而，并非所有驱动突变都能找到匹配的靶向药物，且针对驱动突变的治疗也并非总能带来临床获益。本综述将系统分析不同唾液腺癌组织亚型中的主要突变类型。
Translational Insights in the Landscape of Salivary Gland Cancers: Ready for a New Era?
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家