Head and Neck Cancer Research
Group Leader
Sami Ventelä, MD, PhD
Specialist in otorhinolaryngology
Email: satuve [at] utu.fi
Contact Information
Turku Bioscience P.O. Box 123, BioCity
Street addr. Tykistökatu 6 B, 4th floor
FIN-20521 Turku, Finland
Lab members
Background degree: Medical Doctor, BSc, University of Turku, Finland
Project: p16 and xCT as biomarkers in HNSCC
Background degree: Medical Doctor and specialist in pathology, University of Turku, Finland
Project: Germ cell-associated cancer testis antigens in human cancers and development of novel tools for treatment stratification in HNSCC.
Background degree: Medical Doctor, University of Turku, Finland
Project: Prevalence, prognosis and treatment results of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the region of Southwestern Finland in the years 2005–2015
Background degree: Medical Doctor, University of Turku, Finland
Project: New methods for identifying the aggressiveness of head and neck cancers and specific cancer treatments
Background degree: MSc in Biomedical Science, University of Turku, Finland
Project: Stratification markers for diagnosis and targeted drug delivery of HNSCC metastasis
Publications
Risk of early death after treatment with curative intent for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective population-based study.
Bazina M, Nikkilä R, Haapaniemi A, Bäck L, Ventelä S, Mäkitie A.
Acta Oncol. 2025 Mar 4;64:339-348. doi: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42202.
PMID: 40035423
Sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinomas accompanied by seromucinous hamartoma and/or atypical sinonasal glands arising from seromucinous hamartoma: insight into their histogenesis.
Bradová M, Agaimy A, Laco J, Martínek P, Ing SK, Badoual C, Damjanov I, Leivo I, Bacchi CE, Comperat E, Ihrler S, Rupp NJ, Šíma R, Šteiner P, Vaněček T, Mueller S, Ventelä S, Skálová A, Michal M.
Virchows Arch. 2025 Feb 22. doi: 10.1007/s00428-025-04053-1. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 39985576
Added value of HPV-DNA in situ hybridization as an adjunct to p16 Immunohistochemistry in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Nissi L, Huusko T, Routila J, Vaittinen S, Leivo I, Irjala H, Ventelä S.
Acta Otolaryngol. 2025 Feb 10:1-8. doi: 10.1080/00016489.2025.2461653. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 39927721
Molecular Profiling of Sinonasal Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: Canonical and Noncanonical Gene Fusions and Mutation.
Skálová A, Bradová M, Agaimy A, Laco J, Badual C, Ihrler S, Damjanov I, Rupp NJ, Bacchi CE, Mueller S, Ventelä S, Zhang D, Comperat E, Martínek P, Šíma R, Vaněček T, Grossmann P, Steiner P, Hájková V, Kovářová I, Michal M, Leivo I.
Am J Surg Pathol. 2025 Mar 1;49(3):227-242. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0000000000002349. Epub 2025 Jan 6.
PMID: 39760648 Free PMC article.
xCT as a Predictor for Survival in a Population-Based Cohort of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Nissi L, Tuominen S, Routila J, Huusko T, Ketonen P, Sundvall M, Leivo I, Irjala H, Minn H, Grönroos TJ, Ventelä S.
Cancer Med. 2024 Nov;13(21):e70371. doi: 10.1002/cam4.70371.
PMID: 39487701 Free PMC article.
Multiparameter imaging reveals clinically relevant cancer cell-stroma interaction dynamics in head and neck cancer.
Punovuori K, Bertillot F, Miroshnikova YA, Binner MI, Myllymäki SM, Follain G, Kruse K, Routila J, Huusko T, Pellinen T, Hagström J, Kedei N, Ventelä S, Mäkitie A, Ivaska J, Wickström SA.
Cell. 2024 Dec 12;187(25):7267-7284.e20. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.046. Epub 2024 Oct 28.
PMID: 39471809 Free article.
Olotu O, Koskenniemi AR, Ma L, Paramonov V, Laasanen S, Louramo E, Bourgery M, Lehtiniemi T, Laasanen S, Rivero-Müller A, Löyttyniemi E, Sahlgren C, Westermarck J, Ventelä S, Visakorpi T, Poutanen M, Vainio P, Mäkelä JA, Kotaja N. Germline-specific RNA helicase DDX4 forms cytoplasmic granules in cancer cells and promotes tumor growth. Cell Rep. 23;43(7):114430, 2024.
Identification of stemness-related glycosylation changes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Routila E, Mahran R, Salminen S, Irjala H, Haapio E, Kytö E, Ventelä S, Petterson K, Routila J, Gidwani K, Leivo J. BMC Cancer. 10;24(1):443, 2024.
Lehtinen N, Suhonen J, Rice K, Välimäki E, Toriseva M, Routila J, Halme P, Rahi M, Irjala H, Leivo I, Kallajoki M, Nees M, Kuopio T, Ventelä S, Rantala JK. Assessment of targeted therapy opportunities in sinonasal cancers using patient-derived functional tumor models. Transl Oncol. 23;44:101935, 2024.
Pakkanen P, Ilmarinen T, Halme E, Irjala H, Koivunen P, Pukkila M, Ventelä S, Almangush A, Birkman EM, Lindgren O, Pohjolainen V, Sjöblom N, Haglund C, Hagström J, Aaltonen LM. Programmed death-ligand 1 and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) – low TIL density may predict poorer long-term prognosis in T1 laryngeal cancer. Virchows Arch. 485(2):315-322, 2024
Tuominen S, Nissi L, Kukkula A, Routila J, Huusko T, Leivo I, Minn H, Irjala H, Löyttyniemi E, Ventelä S, Sundvall M, Grönroos T. TSPO is a potential independent prognostic factor associated with cellular respiration and p16 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Front Oncol. 14;13:1298333, 2023
Hyytiäinen A, Korelin K, Toriseva M, Wilkman T, Kainulainen S, Mesimäki K, Routila J, Ventelä S, Irjala H, Nees M, Al-Samadi A, Salo T. The effect of matrices on the gene expression profile of patient-derived head and neck carcinoma cells for in vitro therapy testing. Cancer Cell Int. 24;23(1):147, 2023.
Hyytiäinen A, Mroueh R, Peltonen J, Wennerstrand P, Mäkitie A, Al-Samadi A, Ventelä S, Salo T. Prognostic histological markers in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy. APMIS. 131(4):142-151, 2023.
Mylly M, Nissi L, Huusko T, Routila J, Vaittinen S, Irjala H, Leivo I, Ventelä S. Epidemiological study of p16 incidence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma 2005-2015 in representative Northern European population. Cancers (Basel). 21;14(22):5717, 2022.
Denissoff A, Huusko T, Ventelä S, Niemelä S, Routila J. Exposure to alcohol and overall survival in head and neck cancer: A regional cohort study. Head Neck, 44(10):2109-2117, 2022.
Hieta N, Ventelä S, Kujari H. Korvakäytävän punajäkälä – diagnoosiin varhain kuulon heikkenemisen estämiseksi. Duodecim 138:685-9, 2022.
Routila J, Qiao X, Weltner J, Rantala JK, Carpén T, Hagström J, Mäkitie A, Leivo I, Ruuskanen M, Söderlund J, Rintala M, Hietanen S, Irjala H, Minn H, Westermarck J, Ventelä S. Cisplatin overcomes radiotherapy resistance in OCT4-expressing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Oncology, 127:105772, 2022.
Pakkanen P, Ilmarinen T, Halme E, Irjala H, Koivunen P, Pukkila M, Ventelä S, Hagström J, Aaltonen LA. T1 glottic laryngeal cancer in Finland – the role of routine follow-up visits in detecting local recurrence. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 278:4863–4869, 2021.
Routila J, Suvila K, Grénman R, Leivo I, Westermarck J, Ventelä S. Cancer cell line microarray as a novel screening method for discovery of predictive biomarkers for radioresistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. BMC Cancer. 21:868, 2021.
Routila J, Leivo I, Minn H, Westermarck J, Ventelä S. Evaluation of putative prognostic molecular biomarkers in a population-validated Finnish HNSCC patient cohort. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 278: 4575–4585, 2021.
Khan M, Khaznadar SS, Routila J, Ventelä S, Schmid E, Gebhart B, Becker ET, Roider HG, Perala M, Schmitz AA, Krahn T, von Ahsen O. Hepatocyte Growth Factor Receptor overexpression predicts reduced survival but its targeting is not effective in unselected HNSCC patients. Head Neck. 42: 625-635, 2020.