scholarly journals Advancement in Cancer Stem Cell Biology and Precision Medicine—Review Article Head and Neck Cancer Stem Cell Plasticity and the Tumor Microenvironment

Author(s):  
Molly E. Heft Neal ◽  
J. Chad Brenner ◽  
Mark E. P. Prince ◽  
Steven B. Chinn

Head and Neck cancer survival has continued to remain around 50% despite treatment advances. It is thought that cancer stem cells play a key role in promoting tumor heterogeneity, treatment resistance, metastasis, and recurrence in solid malignancies including head and neck cancer. Initial studies identified cancer stem cell markers including CD44 and ALDH in head and neck malignancies and found that these cells show aggressive features in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Recent evidence has now revealed a key role of the tumor microenvironment in maintaining a cancer stem cell niche and promoting cancer stem cell plasticity. There is an increasing focus on identifying and targeting the crosstalk between cancer stem cells and surrounding cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) as new therapeutic potential, however understanding how CSC maintain a stem-like state is critical to understanding how to therapeutically alter their function. Here we review the current evidence for cancer stem cell plasticity and discuss how interactions with the TME promote the cancer stem cell niche, increase tumor heterogeneity, and play a role in treatment resistance.

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3377
Author(s):  
Panagiota Economopoulou ◽  
Ioannis Kotsantis ◽  
Amanda Psyrri

The tumor microenvironment (TME) encompasses cellular and non-cellular components which play an important role in tumor evolution, invasion, and metastasis. A complicated interplay between tumor cells and adjacent TME cells, such as stromal cells, immune cells, inflammatory cells, and cytokines, leads to severe immunosuppression and the proliferation of cancer cells in several solid tumors. An immunosuppressive TME has a significant impact on treatment resistance and may guide response to immunotherapy. In head and neck cancer (HNC), immunotherapeutic drugs have been incorporated in everyday clinical practice. However, despite an exceptional rate of durable responses, only a low percentage of patients respond. In this review, we will focus on the complex interactions occurring in this dynamic system, the TME, which orchestrate key events that lead to tumor progression, immune escape, and resistance. Furthermore, we will summarize current clinical trials that depict the TME as a potential therapeutic target for improved patient selection.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1707
Author(s):  
Larisa Goričan ◽  
Boris Gole ◽  
Uroš Potočnik

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a rare cell population in tumors, are resistant to conventional chemotherapy and thus responsible for tumor recurrence. To screen for active compounds targeting CSCs, a good CSC-enriched model compatible with high-throughput screening (HTS) is needed. Here, we describe a new head and neck cancer stem cell-enriched spheroid model (SCESM) suitable for HTS analyses of anti-CSC compounds. We used FaDu cells, round-bottom ultra-low adherent (ULA) microplates, and stem medium. The formed spheroids displayed increased expression of all stem markers tested (qRT-PCR and protein analysis) in comparison to the FaDu cells grown in a standard adherent culture or in a well-known HTS-compatible multi-cellular tumor spheroid model (MCTS). Consistent with increased stemness of the cells in the spheroid, confocal microscopy detected fast proliferating cells only at the outer rim of the SCESM spheroids, with poorly/non-proliferating cells deeper in. To confirm the sensitivity of our model, we used ATRA treatment, which strongly reduced the expression of selected stem markers. Altogether, we developed a CSC-enriched spheroid model with a simple protocol, a microplate format compatible with multimodal detection systems, and a high detection signal, making it suitable for anti-CSC compounds’ HTS.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 556-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Min Park ◽  
Sei Young Lee ◽  
Suk Won Park ◽  
Se-Heon Kim

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
ICHIRO OTA ◽  
TAKASHI MASUI ◽  
MIYAKO KURIHARA ◽  
JONG-IN YOOK ◽  
SHINJI MIKAMI ◽  
...  

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