Other Medical Sciences Commons^™

The Nervous System And Cancers Of The Head And Neck, Christian A. Graves

Theses and Dissertations

The anatomy of the head and neck is closely associated with the nervous system which plays an important role in the prognosis of head and neck cancer (HNC). However, the molecular interactions between these compartments and HNC remain poorly understood. We present a novel big data approach utilizing clinical data, sequencing, and machine learning to identify and validate potential molecular pathways by which the nervous system affects the development and progression of HNC. Our studies demonstrate across multiple datasets that perineural invasion (PNI) frequently occurs in HPV+ HNC. Furthermore, we show novel activating and missense mutations and pathways that may …