Epigenetic and oral squamous cell carcinoma

In recent decades, although great progress has been made on the diagnosis and treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), its 5-year survival rate has not been significantly improved. The basic reason is the unclear pathogenesis, lack of effective molecular markers for assessing invasion, metastasis, and recurrence as well as therapeutic targets. The present view is that genetic and epigenetic abnormalities are related to the occurrence and development of OSCC. Epigenetic inheritance is a biological behavior that can be regulated and reversed, and it plays an important role in the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. First, this review will describe the role of epigenetic modifications in the development of OSCC in combination with our research and the latest research progress of epigenetics, including DNA methylation, RNA methylation, short noncoding RNAs (miRNAs, etc.), long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs, histone modifications (acetylation and methylation), chromatin remodeling and genomic imprinting. Then, we will analyze the value of epigenetic studies in the prevention, diagnosis, and targeted therapy of OSCC.