Her project will explore the expression and role of the toll-like receptor TLR4, and how TLR4 correlates with tumor development, immune escape and chemoresistance in Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). There are 800,000 new cases and 400,000 deaths from HNSCC every year worldwide, with an overall 5-year survival rate of <50% despite remarkable advances in therapy. Inflammation is a driver of tumor development and an essential signaling mechanism of it activates the TLR family involved in the recognition of microbes and cellular damage. How TLR4 participates in HNSCC tumorigenesis is not yet well understood; there are indications that it has a role in cancer progression in prostate, colon, & gastrointestinal cancers; but activation of TLR4 can also result in induction of anti-tumor immunity. The project will investigate the pattern of TLR4 expression in HNSCC and determine the pathophysiological significance of TLR4 in suppression of the immune surveillance mechanism and chemoresistance.