The use of molecular biology techniques on biopsy specimens for the prognosis of oral carcinomas

Abstract

I investigated the use of molecular biology for the prognosis of oral cancer. To date, a significant number of protein and DNA markers have been explored using immunohistochemistry, polymerase chain reaction(PCR) related techniques, and flow cytometry. Some of the most important markers studied include oncogenes(myc, ras, cyclin D1, erbB2, bcl-2), tumor suppressor genes(p53, Rb), growth factors related factors(Ki-67, PCNA, AgNORs, BrdU), loss of heterozygosity at various DNA loci, human papilloma virus(HPV), and telomerase. I researched detection methods such as DNA microarray, microdissection and in situ PCR. This presentation discusses the potential clinical utility of these markers and methods, and the future directions of study.