Signaling Pathways in Squamous Cancer

Squamous epithelia form the lining surface of tissues in contact with the environment: the skin, oral mucosa, esophagus and respiratory tract, the genital tract, and several other specialized tissues. These tissues are at highest risk for exposure to environmental carcinogens such as UV, tobacco smoke and infectious agents. Cancers that form in squamous epithelia are among the most common human solid tumors and have high morbidity and mortality. These cancers include squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, oral cancer, head and neck and esophageal cancer, certain lung cancers and cervical cancer.

We propose to organize the book so that the early chapters will focus on individual pathways and more specific mechanisms in both normal function and cancer, while the later chapters will be more integrative and include overviews of biomarkers and therapeutic development. This should increase interest for clinically oriented researchers. All authors will be encouraged to provide a balanced review in addition to highlighting their own work.

1. Regulation of Squamous Differentiation

                        p63

Dennis Roop

Wendy Weinberg, FDA

                        Notch

Raphael Kopan, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis

Michael Parmacek, U. Penn

                        beta-catenin/wnts

Elaine Fuchs: Rockefeller

Fiona Watt Cambridge Research Institute , UK

Sarah Millar: U. Penn

                        AP1

Peter Angel, German Cancer Research Center

T.Bowden (UV and AP1) University of Arizona

Nuclear Hormone receptors

PPAR: Jeff Peters, Penn State

NF-kB: M. Karin, UCSD

           2. Regulation of Proliferation and Survival

                        EGFR family

J. Grandis Pittsburgh

L. Hansen, Creighton University

                        Stats

J. DiGiovanni, MD Anderson

                        TGF

Michael Reiss

Elaine Fuchs Rockefeller

Adam Glick, Penn State

p53/p63/p73