Biomarcadores para o processo de malignização de lesões pré-malignas da cavidade oral

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. The major risk factors are smoking and drinking habits, associated with genetic factors. The presence of pre-malign lesions, with high malignization potential, is also one important risk factor. The squamous cell carcinoma has a bad prognosis and a low survival rate, which are worsened when an early diagnosis isn’t achieved. Therefore, an early diagnosis plays a central role in lowering the mortality rate associated to oral squamous cell carcinoma. The identification of specific biomarkers for early detection of pre-malign lesions plays an essential role, allowing timely intervention by a dentist. This dissertation allowed the organization of the proteins associated with oral pre-malign lesions and oral squamous cell carcinoma, already identified in other works. The application of bioinformatics tools to the preview information allowed the determination of the biological processes and pathways associated with malignization, thereby highlighting which proteins could be of interest for future research for the discovery of new biomarkers. Moreover, the results of this work also gave an opportunity for reviewing the biomarkers already proposed in existing literature

Date of Award	2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Marlene Barros (Supervisor) & Nuno Ricardo das Neves Rosa (Co-Supervisor)