RUIFANG LI¹, XINRONG NAN^2,*, MING LI^3,*, OMAR RAHHAL³

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.8, pp. 1323-1334, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.046965

Abstract Background: Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a cell surface serine protease, plays roles in tumor invasion and immune regulation. However, there is currently no pan-cancer analysis of FAP. Objective: We aimed to assess the pan-cancer expression profile of FAP, its molecular function, and its potential role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC). Methods: We analyzed gene expression, survival status, immune infiltration, and molecular functional pathways of FAP in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) tumors. Furthermore, to elucidate the role of FAP in HNSC, we performed proliferation, migration, and invasion assays… More >

Naoki Katase^*†, Shin-Ichiro Nishimatsu^†‡, Akira Yamauchi^§, Masahiro Yamamura^¶, Kumiko Terada^†‡, Masumi Itadani^§, Naoko Okada^¶#, Nur Mohammad Monsur Hassan^**, Hitoshi Nagatsuka^††, Tohru Ikeda^*‡‡, Tsutomu Nohno^†, Shuichi Fujita^*

Oncology Research, Vol.26, No.1, pp. 45-58, 2018, DOI:10.3727/096504017X149268745963860965-0407

Abstract DKK3, a member of the dickkopf Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor family, is believed to be a tumor suppressor because of its reduced expression in cancer cells. However, our previous studies have revealed that DKK3 expression is predominantly observed in head and neck/oral squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC/OSCC). Interestingly, HNSCC/OSCC patients with DKK3 expression showed a high rate of metastasis and poorer survival, and siRNA-mediated knockdown of DKK3 in HNSCC-derived cancer cell lines resulted in reduced cellular migration and invasion. From these data, it was hypothesized that DKK3 might exert an oncogenic function specific to HNSCC. In… More >

Arya Sobhakumari^*1, Kevin P. Orcutt^†‡1, Laurie Love-Homan^§, Christopher E. Kowalski^†‡, Arlene D. Parsons^†, C. Michael Knudson^†‡§¶, Andrean L. Simons^*†‡§¶

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.1, pp. 55-64, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14586627440192

Abstract Poor tumor response to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is a significant challenge for effective treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Therefore, strategies that may increase tumor response to EGFR TKIs are warranted in order to improve HNSCC patient treatment and overall survival. HNSCC tumors are highly glycolytic, and increased EGFR signaling has been found to promote glucose metabolism through various mechanisms. We have previously shown that inhibition of glycolysis with 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG) significantly enhanced the antitumor effects of cisplatin and radiation, which are commonly used to treat… More >

SHIDA HOU^1,#, TIANJUN LAN^2,#, YAOCHENG YANG^3,#, PEISHENG LIANG¹, XIN LIU^4,5, JUNJIE WANG⁶, ZHIFENG CHEN⁷, RONGSHENG ZENG^1,*, ZIJING HUANG^8,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.12, pp. 2641-2660, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.043291

Abstract Background: 5-Methylcytosine (m5C) methylation contributes to the development and progression of various malignant tumors. This study aimed to explore the potential role of m5C methylation regulators (m5CMRs) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: The transcription data of HNSCC samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Subsequently, the m5C patterns in HNSCC were evaluated based on 14 m5CMRs. Then, the m5Cscore was developed to quantify m5C patterns by using principal component analysis (PCA) algorithms. Two single-cell RNA sequencing datasets and various methods were employed to… More >

GERWIN HELLER^1,*, THORSTEN FUEREDER¹, ALEXANDER MICHAEL GRANDITS¹, ROTRAUD WIESER^1,2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.1, pp. 1-17, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.044774

Abstract Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide. The main risk factors are consumption of tobacco products and alcohol, as well as infection with human papilloma virus. Approved therapeutic options comprise surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy through epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition, and immunotherapy, but outcome has remained unsatisfactory due to recurrence rates of ~50% and the frequent occurrence of second primaries. The availability of the human genome sequence at the beginning of the millennium heralded the omics era, in which rapid technological progress has advanced our knowledge… More >

LIN QIU^1,#, ANQI TAO^1,#, XIAOQIAN SUN^4,5, FEI LIU¹, XIANPENG GE^2,3,*, CUIYING LI^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.5, pp. 715-752, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029443

Abstract We analyzed RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and clinical data from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Genomic Data Commons (GDC) portal to investigate the prognostic value of anoikis-related genes (ARGs) in HNSCC and develop new targeted drugs. Differentially expressed ARGs were screened using bioinformatics methods; subsequently, a prognostic model including three ARGs (CDKN2A, BIRC5, and PLAU) was constructed. Our results showed that the model-based risk score was a good prognostic indicator, and the potential of the three ARGs in HNSCC prognosis was validated by the TISCH database, the model’s… More >

Huihui Zhang, Jing Yan, Xiaoyong Ren, Ying Sheng, Zhenghui Wang, Jianmin Liang, Yan Yan, Yangyang Jia, Zhihui Li, Jin Hou^*

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.4, pp. 707-716, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.027023

Abstract Objective: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of nimotuzumab combined with neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: Patients received intravenous nimotuzumab (400 mg, weekly for 1–3 weeks) combined with chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil/paclitaxel/docetaxel + nedaplatin/cisplatin for 1–2 cycles), prior to definitive surgical resection, radiotherapy or other treatments. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). The secondary endpoints were tumor downstaging, complete response rate (CRR), partial response rate (PRR), disease control rate (DCR), R0 resection rate, pathological complete response (pCR), larynx preservation rate, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and… More >

DONGYANG WANG, YI CHEN, JING HUANG, YOU ZHANG, CHONGKUI SUN, YINGQIANG SHEN^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 329-338, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.023489

Abstract Glucocorticoids (GC) are widely used to counter the adverse events during cancer therapy; nonetheless, previous studies pointed out that GC may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapy on cancer cells, especially in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remaining to be elucidated. The primary aim of the present study was to probe into the GC-induced resistance of EGFR-targeted drug afatinib and the underlying mechanism. HNSCC cell lines (HSC-3, SCC-25, SCC-9, and H-400) and the human oral keratinocyte (HOK) cell lines were assessed for GC receptor (GR) expression. The… More >

JIAYU ZHANG^1,2,3,#, RUOYAN CAO^1,2,3,#, JIANMIN PENG^1,2,3, QINCHAO HU^1,2,3, JUAN XIA^1,2,3,*, BIN CHENG^1,2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.1, pp. 111-125, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016612

Abstract Metabolic reprogramming and immunologic suppression are two critical characteristics promoting the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The integrative analysis of all the metabolism-related genes (MRGs) in HNSCC is lacking and the interaction between the metabolism and the immune characteristics also requires more exploration to uncover the potential mechanisms. Therefore, this study was designed to establish a prognostic signature based on all the MRGs in HNSCC. Genes of HNSCC samples were available from the TCGA and GEO databases while the MRGs were retrieved from a previous study. Ultimately 4 prognostic MRGs were… More >