Dietary Polyphenols against Oxidative Stress in Head and Neck Cancer - What’s New, What’s Next

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven

Head and neck cancers (HNC) remain a major worldwide health challenge, with heterogeneous molecular characteristics that complicate understanding of their onset and progression. This review emphasizes dietary polyphenols as promising bioactive agents against oxidative stress, a key process that reshapes cellular pathways, weakens host defenses, and supports tumor-favorable microenvironments. Polyphenols influence multiple proteins across diverse metabolic routes, potentially acting synergistically with current therapies. As natural compounds, they may offer favorable tolerability and improved drug efficacy. The article highlights polyphenols as new tools to strengthen anti-HNC strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Abstract

1. Introduction

Review Ivyspring International Publisher Journal of Cancer 2024; 15(2): 293-308. doi: 10.7150/jca.90545 Dietary Polyphenols against Oxidative Stress in Head and Neck Cancer: What’s New, What’s Next Andrea Ballini1, Khrystyna Zhurakivska1􀀍, Giuseppe Troiano1, Lorenzo Lo Muzio1, Vito Carlo Alberto Caponio1, Francesca Spirito1, Rosa Porro2, Martina Rella 3, Stefania Cantore4, Roberto Arrigoni 5 and Mario Dioguardi1 1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. 2. Department of Informatics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy. 3. AULSS4-Veneto Orientale – Portogruaro, Venice, Italy. 4. Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy. 5. CNR Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM), Bari, Italy. 􀀍 Corresponding author: [khrystyna.zhurakivska@unifg.it](khrystyna.zhurakivska@unifg.it). © The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)). See [http://ivyspring.com/terms](http://ivyspring.com/terms) for full terms and conditions. Received: 2023.09.27; Accepted: 2023.10.24; Published: 2024.01.01 Abstract Head and neck cancers (HNC) are a worldwide health problem, accounting for over 5% of all types of cancers. Their varied nature makes it sometimes difficult to find clear explanations for the molecular mechanisms that underline their onset and development. While chemio-and radiotherapy are clearly not to be dismissed, we cannot undervalue the effect that polyphenols-especially dietary polyphenols-can have in helping us to cope with this medical emergency. By influencing several different proteins involved in numerous different metabolic pathways, polyphenols can have a broad spectrum of biological action and can hopefully act synergistically to tackle down head and neck cancer. Moreover, being natural molecules, polyphenols does not present any side effects and can even enhance drugs efficacy, making our clinical therapy against head and neck cancer more and more effective. Certainly, oxidative stress plays an important role, altering several molecular pathways, lowering the body's defenses, and ultimately helping to create a microenvironment conducive to the appearance and development of the tumor. In this regard, the regular and constant intake of foods rich in polyphenols can help counteract the onset of oxidative stress, improving the health of the general population. In this review, we highlight the role of polyphenolsin managing oxidative stress, with such positive effects that they can be considered new tools to use in our anti-head and neck cancer strategy. Keywords: head and neck cancer; polyphenol; oxidative stress; cancer metabolism; reactive oxygen species (ROS); clinical biochemistry, translational medicine, polyphenol therapeutic potential; clinical studies 1. Introduction Head and neck cancer (HNC) accounted for more than 66,920 new cases in 2023 (49,190 men and 17,730 women), causing more than estimated 15,400 deaths (11,210 men and 4,190 women), accounts this disease for about 4% of all cancers in the United States alone [1] . Worldwide, the incidence of these heterogeneous types of cancer is equally high, with more than 562,328 people affected in 2020, being the 7th leading cause of deaths for all type of cancer [1,2] . Head and neck cancer usually arise from the mucosal surfaces of head and neck region, but also in salivary glands. HNC includes cancers that develop in the oral cavity, larynx, nasal cavity, and salivary glands (Figure 1); the worldwide 5-year median survival rate at 50% of cases, with the hypopharynx experiencing the worst outcomes [2] . HNC is greatly impacted by environmental (human papilloma virus infection is a known risk condition) and genetic factors, but behaviora

FAQs

Why are head and neck cancers difficult to explain at the molecular level?

Their varied and heterogeneous nature makes it difficult to identify clear molecular mechanisms driving onset and development.

How do dietary polyphenols relate to oxidative stress in head and neck cancer?

Polyphenols influence proteins across multiple metabolic pathways and may counteract oxidative stress by helping oppose mechanisms that promote tumor-supportive conditions.

What factors increase the risk of head and neck cancer mentioned in the text?

Environmental and genetic factors are involved, but behavioral habits—especially alcohol and tobacco use—are present in over 80% of cases, with smoking alone accounting for 42% of cancer incidence.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven