This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Cancer stem cell number may not predict outcomes in HPV-associated HNSCC
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The number of cancer stem cells may not be an adequate predictor of disease recurrence or progression in patients with HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, according to results of a study conducted at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The researchers evaluated samples of HNSCC tumors, specifically oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. All samples were classified as HPV16-positive or HPV-negative.
The researchers hypothesized that HPV16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma tumors, which typically have a better response to treatment than HPV-negative tumors, would have lower cancer stem cell numbers than HPV-negative tumors.
However, after testing the samples using various assays, the researchers determined that the HPV16-positive samples had 2.4 to 62.6 times more cancer stem cells than the HPV-negative tumor samples.
Quintin Pan
“We show that high levels of cancer stem cells are not necessarily associated with a worse prognosis in head and neck cancer, a finding that could have far-reaching implications for patient care,” Quintin Pan, PhD, associate professor of otolaryngology at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a press release.
The researchers said these findings further support the assertion that cancer stem cell phenotype is not homogenous, which may indicate that the phenotype of cancer stem cells rather than their number should be explored as a predictor of aggressive disease.
“A provocative hypothesis is that HPV16-positive cancer stem cells may be phenotypically distinct from HPV-negative cancer stem cells, and perhaps more responsive to chemoradiation,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts