Issues

The carcinogenic effect of tobacco smoke on the hypopharynx and its combination with bile reflux has not yet been proven by direct evidence. In a study starting on page 297, Vageli and colleagues demonstrate for the first time that refluxate containing bile acids exacerbates the development and progression of hypopharyngeal cancer induced by chronic exposure of tobacco smoke component nitrosamines in vivo, via activating the NF-κB pathway. The cover image depicts the strong nuclear staining of p-NF-κB (p65 S536) of murine hypopharyngeal mucosa of C57Bl6J mice after 12 weeks of exposure to tobacco smoke carcinogens combined with bile acid, which composes an aggressive molecular phenotype. The Immunohistochemical analysis for p-NF-κB (p65 S536) and image analyses algorithm(s) were generated by Image Scope software (Leica Microsystems): red, strong positive nuclear staining; orange, intense positive cytoplasmic staining; yellow, weak cytoplasmic staining; blue, negative staining.