Dear Colleagues,

It is our great pleasure to invite you to participate in the International Symposium on Epigenetics in Head and Neck Cancer which will take place in Zagreb, Croatia, April 27^th, 2018. This symposium is organized with the support of the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, and the Croatian Science Foundation, Zagreb, Croatia.

The discovery of epigenetic changes and studies on their role in gene regulation have made a major impact on our understanding of how cellular pathways are impacted by small noncoding RNAs and DNA methylation of gene promotors. During the past decade, it has become clear that miRNA and DNA methylation profiles are altered in a variety of human cancers and play an important role in tumorigenesis. Recently, human papillomavirus (HPV) negative head and neck cancer (HNC) have been distinguished from HPV positive cancer, which have better prognosis and survival rate. HPV negative HNC are characterised by high rate of genetic alteration compared to HPV negative HNC. However, it is not clear if there is a distinct epigenetic pattern between these two groups of HNC. It can be speculated that HPV associated tumorigenesis contributes to specific epigenetic alterations. Thus, a better understanding of the epigenetic profiling in the carcinogenesis is expected to contribute significantly to the treatment and management of HNC. The aim of this symposium is to bring together leading experts in the areas of HPV, epigenetic and HNC to discuss their latest research findings and identify the important roles of epigenetic changes in the pathogenesis of HNC.  

As an additional attraction, the conference has been set in an exceptional location. The city of Zagreb possesses a unique beauty and cultural environments due to the surrounding mountain and numerous hills, and due to its rich historical heritage.

I sincerely hope that you will participate in this symposium and I look forward to welcoming you to the beautiful city of Zagreb in April 2018.

Magdalena Grce