Significance of chemokine and chemokine receptors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A critical review

•We reviewed current knowledge in the literature on OSCC and chemokines.•The chemokine and chemokine/receptor system play key roles on oral tumogigenesis.•Therapies directed at chemokines and its receptors may be a novel approach in the treatment of oral cancer.

SummaryChemokines are small chemotactic proteins that coordinate circulation of immune/inflammatory cells throughout body compartments. Because of this property chemokines and their cell surface receptors are implicated in several physiological and pathological conditions, including cancer. These molecules are expressed by neoplastic or stromal cells and have effects at tumor primary site (e.g. stimulating angiogenesis and tumor cells motility) and lymph nodes (creating a gradient to direct migration of neoplastic cells). In this article we review the current knowledge about the function(s) of chemokines and receptors in squamous cell carcinoma from the oral cavity and head and neck region. Accumulating evidence suggests some chemokine(s) and receptor(s) as potential targets in adjuvant therapies for these malignancies.