Bone invasion by oral cancer is a common clinical problem, which affects the choice of treatment and predicts a poor prognosis. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanism of this phenomenon has not been fully elucidated. Current studies have revealed that oral cancer cells modulate the formation and function of osteoclasts through the expression of a series of signal molecules. Many signal pathways are involved in this process, of which receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB/osteoprotegerin signaling pathway attracted much attention. In this review, we introduce recent progress in molecular mechanisms of bone invasion by oral cancer.
口腔癌易于发生颌骨侵犯，影响患者预后，而这一现象的分子机制尚未完全阐明。目前研究发现，口腔癌细胞通过一系列信号分子的表达直接或者间接影响破骨细胞的形成和功能，有多条信号通路参与其调控，其中核因子κB受体活化因子配体/核因子κB受体活化因子/骨保护素信号通路的调节备受关注。本文就口腔癌颌骨侵犯的分子机制研究进展进行综述。.
Keywords: bone invasion; molecular mechanism; oral cancer; osteoclast.