口腔癌是全世界人類第五大癌症。台灣近年來嚼食檳榔的人數已多達兩百萬人，據國外有關嚼食檳榔的各種流行病學及病理學研究顯示，有嚼食檳榔習慣者會增加罹患口腔癌與口腔黏膜下纖維化的機率。然而台灣口腔癌患者的存活率仍然很低。如此低的五年存活率顯示出對口腔癌早期診斷、早期治療的重要性。而最好的預防策略是能於早期診斷出口腔癌前病變並加以治療，而防止其進一步演變成口腔癌。總計劃及子計畫為針對台灣本土特有的嚼食檳榔文化引起口腔癌前病變及口腔癌之相關研究，且配合本校中長程發展特色及國健局進行口腔黏膜疾病篩檢之政策。為了達到這個目標，我們籌組了這個整合型計畫，結合了臨床醫師、病理科醫師及基礎研究人員，以五個子計劃進行以下的研究：(1) 預防口腔癌之天然化合物開發及其作用機轉之探討(2) 探討口腔黏膜下纖維化上皮癌間上皮-間質轉換情況(3) 癌症轉移相關因子其基因外表型的調節作用在口腔癌前病變及口腔癌的相關性探討(4) 探討口腔癌癌症幹細胞之分子機轉來當作治療口腔癌新穎療法(5) 口腔癌前病變之光動力治療，本整合型計畫涵蓋了預防、治療及致病機轉之探討，期能找到預防口腔癌前病變及口腔癌之藥物、新穎的治療方法及新的致病機轉。 In Taiwan, there are two million people who have the areca quid chewing habit, which has been suspected to elevate the incidence of oral premalignant lesions; about 80% of all oral cancer deaths are associated with this habit. Because of the higher incidence rate of oral cancer in Taiwan, to investigate the carcinogenesis of oral cancer is urgent and the molecular mechanisms will provide useful knowledge in prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.To reach the goal, an integrated project is organized with five sub-projects that coordinates collaboration among basic researchers, clinicians, pathologists to investigate (1) The study and application of chemopreventive agents for oral cancer (2) The study of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis (3) The study of epigenetic regulation of metastasis-related gene in of oral precancer lesions and oral cancer (4) Exploring the molecular mechanisms of oral cancer stem cells as novel targets for oral cancer therapy (5) Photodynamic therapy for oral precancerous lesions.
