Identification and Elucidation of Therapeutic Targets in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Computational Approach

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer of head and neck region that targets the nasopharynx or nasopharynx epithelium cells. Globally, NPC is predominant in east and southeast Asia, south central Asia, and north and east Africa. Symptoms of NPC include lump in the neck, ear pain, stuffy nose, hearing loss, facial numbness, and headaches. This study aimed to identify potential therapeutic targets involved in NPC development and progression. Our results screened ten possible genes and based on their functions we report IL1β (Interleukin-1 beta), FN1 (Fibronectin), CXCL8 (Multifunctional fusion protein), CXCL12- Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (Stromal cell-derived factor 1), and COL1α1 (Collagen alpha-1(I) chain) for a possible therapeutic target. Overall, these five genes can be used as potential NPC biomarkers and can be tested as potential therapeutic targets.