Unveiling the Enigma of the Phosphatase and Tensinogen Gene in Cancer and its Potential Role in Oral Cancer- A Narrative Review

Abstract

Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) is a tumour suppressor gene that plays a vital role in the normal cell cycle. PTEN acts on the cell via the phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase pathway which is involved in the process of cell growth, differentiation, migration, and survival. PTEN is most frequently inactivated in human cancers, because of genetic alterations or transcriptional/post-transcriptional modifications. Literature search was done using the keywords “PTEN in cancer” and “PTEN in Oral Cancer” using Pubmed as the database. This article briefly discusses the multiple features of the PTEN gene and its significance in cancer for improving the understanding of the biology of oral carcinogenesis and the potential for future research in this field.

Keywords

• malignancy
• oral neoplasms
• phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase pathway
• tumour supressor gene