Predictive Biomarkers for Treatment Response for Head and Neck Cancers

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 9002

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
The Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, SE-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: head and neck cancer; EMT; hypoxia; radiation; cancer drug resistance; tumor microenvironment; biomarkers for treatment respons

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a heterogeneous disease originating from the epithelial cell layer of the upper aerodigestive tract. These epithelial tumors are caused by multiple genetic alterations and are the seventh most common type of cancer worldwide. Head and neck cancer treatments often require different combinations of chemotherapy (mostly including cisplatin), surgery, and radiotherapy, but treatment resistance and local recurrence are still significant problems. In recent years, inhibition of EGFR signaling with the monoclonal EGFR antibody cetuximab (Erbitux®, Merck KGaA) and checkpoint inhibitors has emerged as a new treatment strategy, but only less than one third of unselected patients respond to new combination therapies. Therefore, to significantly increase overall survival in HNSCC patients, personalized targeted therapy is required, which depends on the establishment of novel biomarkers that can predict treatment response.

This Special Issue aims to consolidate the bench-to-bedside journey for developing new predictive biomarkers for treatment response in HNSCC and their significance for clinical decision. We welcome submissions that will contribute with biomarkers/a panel of biomarkers that could be used in the clinic for a more personalized treatment.

Prof. Dr. Karin Roberg
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
  • Predictive biomarkers
  • Radiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Human papilloma virus
  • Tumor microenvironment
  • Cancer stem cells
  • Hypoxia

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 9540 KiB  
Article
Tissue Microarray Analyses Suggest Axl as a Predictive Biomarker in HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer
by Chia-Jung Busch, Christian Hagel, Benjamin Becker, Agnes Oetting, Nikolaus Möckelmann, Conrad Droste, Christina Möller-Koop, Melanie Witt, Markus Blaurock, Sonja Loges, Kai Rothkamm, Christian Betz, Adrian Münscher, Till S. Clauditz and Thorsten Rieckmann
Cancers 2022, 14(7), 1829; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14071829 - 5 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2291
Abstract
The receptor tyrosine kinase Axl is described to promote migration, metastasis and resistance against molecular targeting, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy in various tumor entities, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Since clinical data on Axl and its ligand Gas6 in HNSCC are [...] Read more.
The receptor tyrosine kinase Axl is described to promote migration, metastasis and resistance against molecular targeting, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy in various tumor entities, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Since clinical data on Axl and its ligand Gas6 in HNSCC are sparse, we assessed the association of Axl and Gas6 expression with patient survival in a single center retrospective cohort in a tissue microarray format. Expression was evaluated manually using an established algorithm and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. A number of 362 samples yielded interpretable staining, which did not correlate with T- and N-stage. Protein expression levels were not associated with the survival of patients with p16-positive oropharyngeal SCC. In HPV-negative tumors, Axl expression did not impact patients treated with primary or adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy, but was significantly associated with inferior overall and recurrence-free survival in patients treated with surgery alone. Gas6 was a positive predictor of survival in patients whose treatment included radiotherapy. Associations remained significant in multivariable analysis. Our data question a meaningful contribution of the Axl/Gas6 pathway to radio-resistance in HNSCC and instead suggest that strong Axl expression identifies tumors requiring adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy after surgery. Full article
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21 pages, 1313 KiB  
Article
The Clinical, Pathological, and Prognostic Value of High PD-1 Expression and the Presence of Epstein–Barr Virus Reactivation in Patients with Laryngeal Cancer
by Janusz Klatka, Anna Szkatuła-Łupina, Anna Hymos, Maria Klatka, Paulina Mertowska, Sebastian Mertowski, Ewelina Grywalska, Małgorzata Charytanowicz, Anna Błażewicz, Agata Poniewierska-Baran, Dominika Bębnowska and Paulina Niedźwiedzka-Rystwej
Cancers 2022, 14(3), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030480 - 18 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2343
Abstract
Due to the development of molecular diagnostic techniques, the latest research in the diagnosis of cancer diseases, including laryngeal cancer, has been focused on the occurrence of specific types of molecular patterns, including markers expressed on cells of the immune system (e.g., PD-1, [...] Read more.
Due to the development of molecular diagnostic techniques, the latest research in the diagnosis of cancer diseases, including laryngeal cancer, has been focused on the occurrence of specific types of molecular patterns, including markers expressed on cells of the immune system (e.g., PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4), which may be directly or indirectly involved in the development of neoplastic diseases. Laryngeal cancer is one of the diseases that is diagnosed more often in men than in women, and many factors are involved in its development, including environmental and lifestyle factors, viral infections (e.g., HPV, HHV-1, and EBV), and disorders of the immune system. In this study, we determined the level of PD-1 receptor expression on T and B lymphocytes and their relationships based on the classification of the grade and TNM scale, in turn based on blood, tumor, and lymph node samples from patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. In addition, we determined the presence of EBV genetic material in the tested biological materials as well as the degree of cancer advancement and its correlation with the level of PD-1 receptor expression. The results suggested that the level of PD-1 expression on T and B lymphocytes was significantly higher in the tumor samples as compared to the lymph node samples, and their comparison with the immunophenotype results from the blood samples provided statistically significant data on changes in the incidence of individual subpopulations of T and B lymphocytes and the level of PD-1 receptor expression. The analysis of the individual parameters of the TNM scale also showed significant changes between the PD-1 expression and the tested biological material in individual subgroups of the scale. We also found that the expression of PD-1 on the CD4+ T cells from the lymph node samples caused an almost 1.5-fold increase in the risk of death. In the analyses of the presence of EBV, the highest concentration was recorded in the tumor samples, then for the lymph node samples, and followed by the blood samples. Furthermore, we showed that the presence of EBV genetic material was positively correlated with the level of PD-1 expression in the tested biological materials. Full article
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13 pages, 899 KiB  
Article
The Hidden Treasures of Preoperative Blood Assessment in Oral Cancer: A Potential Source of Biomarkers
by Ana Caruntu, Liliana Moraru, Mihai Lupu, Lacramioara Taubner, Constantin Caruntu and Cristiana Tanase
Cancers 2021, 13(17), 4475; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13174475 - 5 Sep 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3383
Abstract
(1) Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignancy, and the impact of immune and inflammatory mechanisms in its development and progression are of major interest. The aim of our study is to assess the prognostic potential of circulating immune and [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignancy, and the impact of immune and inflammatory mechanisms in its development and progression are of major interest. The aim of our study is to assess the prognostic potential of circulating immune and inflammatory elements determined preoperatively in patients with OSCC, as well as the development of a new compound parameter with predictive value. (2) Methods: We assessed preoperative fibrinogen (Fib) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in 111 OSCC patients. Using a mathematic algorithm, we determined a composite parameter with cumulative information from Fib and PLR, named Fibrinogen-PLR Algorithm (FiPLA). Survival analysis, followed by bivariate and multivariate analyses, was subsequently conducted. (3) Results: Increased preoperative Fib and PLR levels were associated with poor outcome in OSCC (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0015, respectively). Preoperative FiPLA values were also associated with poor patient survival (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis confirmed the independent prognostic role for FiPLA only (CI95% 1.232–67.770, p = 0.03), showing the superior predictive value of FiPLA compared to its individual components. (4) Conclusions: Preoperative assessments of circulating immune and inflammatory elements can provide high-quality prognostic information, and they represent valuable tools in clinical practice, facilitating the early risk stratification of patients with OSCC. Full article
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