8. P53 mutations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The abrogation of function of the tumor-suppressor protein p53 as a result of gene mutation is one of the most common genetic alterations in cancer cells. This review provides insights of structural complexity of p53, the prevalence of p53 mutations in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), major etiologic agents contributing towards the mutations and HNSCC as a whole. This review also briefly describes other factors associated with p53 mutations and therapeutic strategies for the pharmacological rescue of p53 function.