Abstract 7340: Investigating the function and impact of UBASH3B in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and its implications for racial health disparities

Abstract Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the top cancers with significant cancer health disparities among racial and ethnic groups. African Americans (AAs) with HNSCC demonstrate worse overall survival compared to European Americans (EAs). While the reasons behind this disparity are multifaceted, recent findings suggest that biological features in HNSCC may contribute to differences in disease progression. However, race-related biological factors in HNSCC have been relatively little explored. We have identified the gene UBASH3B, a protein tyrosine phosphatase that plays a role in the stabilization of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). High expression of UBASH3B in AAs is associated with significantly worse overall survival compared to high expression in EAs and low expression in AAs. This study seeks to examine the role of UBASH3B in HNSCC and determine its impact on tumorigenesis. We hypothesize that the upregulation of UBASH3B in AAs contributes to the survival disparity by promoting tumor progression through EGFR signaling. Preliminary data using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) shows overexpression of UBASH3B in tumor samples of both AAs and EAs HNSCC samples. Plus, the overexpression of UBASH3B is associated with perineural invasion. Additionally, among AA-HNSCC patients, advanced T-stage is associated with increased UBASH3B expression. Elucidating the role UBASH3B plays in tumorigenesis will give us a further understanding of HNSCC in African Americans and can serve as a potential therapeutic target for new treatment options, as well as the biomarkers for the detection of the high-risk group. Citation Format: Madeleine Ndahayo, Vera Mukhina, Ishita Gupta, Daria A. Gaykalova. Investigating the function and impact of UBASH3B in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and its implications for racial health disparities abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts) ; 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84 (6Suppl): Abstract nr 7340.