TITLE:
A Candid Assessment of the Link between Oral Candida Containing Biofilms and Oral Cancer
AUTHORS:
J. Kang, Y. He, D. Hetzl, H. Q. Jiang, M. K. Jun, M. S. Jun, M. Khng, N. Cirillo, M. J. McCullough
KEYWORDS:
Candida, Oral Cancer, Immunology, Cytokine Expression
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.6 No.2,
February
29,
2016
ABSTRACT: An
association between Candida and oral cancer has long been discussed in
the literature and in particular Candida albicans has been proposed to
play a significant role in the development of oral cancer. Although this
organism is a common member of the oral mucosa and can cause a variety of oral
mucosal lesions, the exact mechanisms by which C. albicans potentially
causes the development of malignant disease still require much research. We
have undertaken an extensive literature search to understand pathogenicity of C.
albicans, including its virulence factors, its interactions with the host
immune, how a dysregulation of the immune response can result in malignancy, and how a
potential C. albicans specific cytokine response may be involved in oral
carcinogenesis.
We present here a candid assessment of the role of Candida in oral
carcinogenesis and a hypothetical model about how this may occur. Finally, we
present potential future research which is necessary to elucidate this role.