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May 20-21, 2019 | Rome, Italy
Journal of Cell Science and Mutation | Volume 3
OF EXCELLENCE
IN INTERNATIONAL
MEETINGS
YEARS
Stem Cell Congress 2019
STEM CELLS AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
2nd International Conference on
CD98HC IS A CANDIDATE OF CANCER STEM CELL MARKERS IN HNSCC
Yohei Kawasaki 1 and Yasufumi Omori2
1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-and-Neck Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine,
Japan
2 Department of Molecular and Tumor Pathology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
When head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy
and surgical therapy, author often encounter their recurrence and distant metastases. Cancer stem cells
(CSCs) tend to be resistant to radiation therapy and are therefore, profoundly involved in tumor recurrence
and metastasis. Identification of reliable markers of CSCs should lead to the development of a new therapy
and contribute to improvement of the survival rate. Recently, Sanne et al. have reported that CD98 is one of
CSC markers in HNSCC. Moreover, the overexpression of CD98hc is highly associated with different cancers
including the colon cancer and renal cancer. CD98 is a heterodimeric protein that comprises a heavy chain
and a light chain. The CD98 heavy chain is type II linkage to one of six amino acid transporters. Hence, they
investigated the characters of CD98hc-positive and CD98hc-negative cells in HNSCC cell lines and found that
CD98hc-positive cells had the potential of CSCs. It is strongly suggested that the therapy targeting to CD98hc
should contribute to eradication of HNSCC.
Yohei Kawasaki et al., Adv Cell Sci Mut. 2019, Volume 3
Yohei Kawasaki is currently working as a Lecturer at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Akita Univer-
sity Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
BIOGRAPHY