REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.

Sec. Head and Neck Cancer

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1554751

This article is part of the Research TopicPathophysiology and Therapeutic Strategies for Oral and Head and Neck CancersView all 12 articles

Exploring the complex role of the Eph/Ephrin signaling in oral and maxillofacial cancers

Provisionally accepted
Reydson Alcides de Lima-SouzaReydson Alcides de Lima-Souza1,2Moisés Willian Aparecido GonçalvesMoisés Willian Aparecido Gonçalves1,2Raisa Sales de SáRaisa Sales de Sá2Luccas LavarezeLuccas Lavareze1,2João Figueira ScariniJoão Figueira Scarini1,2Talita de Carvalho KimuraTalita de Carvalho Kimura1,2Fernanda Cristina Poscai RibeiroFernanda Cristina Poscai Ribeiro3Albina AltemaniAlbina Altemani1Fernanda Viviane MarianoFernanda Viviane Mariano1Gary Chris FillmoreGary Chris Fillmore4Erika Said Abu EgalErika Said Abu Egal1,4*
  • 1Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 2Department of Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, Campinas State University, Piracicaba, Brazil
  • 3University of Western São Paulo, Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • 4Biorepository and Molecular Pathology, Huntsman Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

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The Eph (erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma) receptor family represents the largest subgroup within the tyrosine kinase receptor family and is recognized for its critical role in regulating the growth, migration, and survival of both normal and malignant cells. The Eph/ephrin signaling has an ambiguous role in squamous cell carcinomas of the oral region, playing both a suppressive and oncogenic role. In salivary gland cancers, the results are reserved, although they suggest that some molecules are associated with a worse prognosis for patients. This review offers a comprehensive summary of the existing literature, underscoring the evidence that supports the involvement of the Eph/ephrin signaling in oral and maxillofacial cancers. Additionally, we examine molecular discoveries that may present promising therapeutic targets for these malignancies.

Keywords: Eph, ephrin, oral squamous cell carcinoma, Salivary gland cancers, target therapy

Received: 02 Jan 2025; Accepted: 16 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 de Lima-Souza, Gonçalves, de Sá, Lavareze, Scarini, Kimura, Ribeiro, Altemani, Mariano, Fillmore and Egal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Erika Said Abu Egal, Biorepository and Molecular Pathology, Huntsman Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 84103, Utah, United States

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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