HNSCC, which includes malignant squamous lesions arising in the oral cavity, larynx and pharynx, is the seventh most common cancer in the world.
HNSCC has a remarkable multiplicity and diversity of genetic alterations. Most genomic alterations in HNSCC converge in a handful of molecular pathways resulting in cell cycle deregulation, genomic instability, cell differentiation defects, and persistent mitogenic signaling, the latter involving aberrant PI3K/mTOR pathway activation thereby rendering HNSCC responsive to PI3K/mTOR inhibitors.
Pathway is based on [Fig 1 from Iglesias-Bartolome et al](https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4348071), [Fig 5 from Li et al](https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14129) and [Fig 33-3 from Clinicalgate](https://clinicalgate.com/the-molecular-pathogenesis-of-head-and-neck-cancer/).
Description is modified from [Iglesias-Bartolome et al](https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4348071).
Protein phosphorylation sites were added based on information from PhosphoSitePlus (R), www.phosphosite.org.