Targeting Wee1 kinase to suppress proliferation and survival of cisplatin-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Taxanes in the Treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Taxanes, particularly docetaxel (DTX), has been widely used for combination therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). For locally advanced unresectable HNSCC, DTX combined with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil as a revolutionary treatment revealed an advantage in the improvement of patient outcome. In addition, DTX plus immune check inhibitors (ICIs) showed low toxicity and an increased response of patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC (R/M HNSCC). Accumulated data indicate that taxanes not only function as antimitotics but also impair diverse oncogenic signalings, including angiogenesis, inflammatory response, ROS production, and apoptosis induction. However, despite an initial response, the development of resistance remains a major obstacle to treatment response. Taxane resistance could result from intrinsic mechanisms, such as enhanced DNA/RNA damage repair, increased drug efflux, and apoptosis inhibition, and extrinsic effects, such as angiogenesis and interactions between tumor cells and immune cells. This review provides an overview of taxanes therapy applied in different stages of HNSCC and describe the mechanisms of taxane resistance in HNSCC. Through a detailed understanding, the mechanisms of resistance may help in developing the potential therapeutic methods and the effective combination strategies to overcome drug resistance.

Targeting DNA damage response as a potential therapeutic strategy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Cells experience both endogenous and exogenous DNA damage daily. To maintain genome integrity and suppress tumorigenesis, individuals have evolutionarily acquired a series of repair functions, termed DNA damage response (DDR), to repair DNA damage and ensure the accurate transmission of genetic information. Defects in DNA damage repair pathways may lead to various diseases, including tumors. Accumulating evidence suggests that alterations in DDR-related genes, such as somatic or germline mutations, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and promoter methylation, are closely related to the occurrence, development, and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Despite recent advances in surgery combined with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy, there has been no substantial improvement in the survival rate of patients with HNSCC. Therefore, targeting DNA repair pathways may be a promising treatment for HNSCC. In this review, we summarized the sources of DNA damage and DNA damage repair pathways. Further, the role of DNA damage repair pathways in the development of HNSCC and the application of small molecule inhibitors targeting these pathways in the treatment of HNSCC were focused.