Biomarkers and 3D models predicting response to immune checkpoint blockade in head and neck cancer (Review).

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Affolter, Annette Kern, Johann Bieback, Karen Scherl, Claudia Rotter, Nicole Lammert, Anne
Copyright Year	2022
Abstract	Immunotherapy has evolved into a powerful tool in the fight against a number of types of cancer, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Although checkpoint inhibition (CPI) has definitely enriched the treatment options for advanced stage HNSCC during the past decade, the percentage of patients responding to treatment is widely varying between 14-32% in second-line setting in recurrent or metastatic HNSCC with a sporadic durability. Clinical response and, consecutively, treatment success remain unpredictable in most of the cases. One potential factor is the expression of target molecules of the tumor allowing cancer cells to acquire therapy resistance mechanisms. Accordingly, analyzing and modeling the complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is key to i) stratify subgroups of patients most likely to respond to CPI and ii) to define new combinatorial treatment regimens. Particularly in a heterogeneous disease such as HNSCC, thoroughly studying the interactions and crosstalking between tumor and TME cells is one of the biggest challenges. Sophisticated 3D models are therefore urgently needed to be able to validate such basic science hypotheses and to test novel immuno-oncologic treatment regimens in consideration of the individual biology of each tumor. The present review will first summarize recent findings on immunotherapy, predictive biomarkers, the role of the TME and signaling cascades eliciting during CPI. Second, it will highlight the significance of current promising approaches to establish HNSCC 3D models for new immunotherapies. The results are encouraging and indicate that data obtained from patient-specific tumors in a dish might be finally translated into personalized immuno-oncology.
ISSN	10196439
Journal	International Journal of Oncology
Volume Number	61
PubMed Central reference number	PMC9183766
Issue Number	1
PubMed reference number	35642667
e-ISSN	17912423
DOI	10.3892/ijo.2022.5378
Language	English
Publisher	D.A. Spandidos
Publisher Date	2022-06-01
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. Copyright: © Affolter et al.
Subject Keyword	head and neck squamous cell carcinoma head and neck cancer immunotherapy 3D models prognostic biomarkers checkpoint inhibitors tumor microenvironment
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Cancer Research Oncology