Researchers isolate key enzyme in oral cancer spread

A new study has identified an enzyme that plays a key role in the spread of head and neck cancers in the oral cavity.

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have published a report in the journal Cancer Prevention Research showing that the female hormone oestrogen can induce the expression of an enzyme called cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1), a process that occurs only in precancerous cells.

It was found that minimising the expression of this enzyme can help to prevent precancerous cells from moving and dividing in the oral cavity.

Dr Margie Clapper, co-leader of the cancer prevention and control programme at Fox Chase Cancer Center, said developing a natural or dietary agent to deplete the CYP1B1 enzyme could therefore help to stop the spread of the disease.

"CYP1B1 could be a wonderful target in precancerous lesions of the head and neck, because by attacking it, we might stop these lesions from progressing or moving to a more advanced stage," she explained.

Head and neck cancers are the sixth most common cancer type globally and include forms of the disease affecting the nose, ear, eye and salivary gland.