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Preclinical models in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Br J Cancer 2023; 128:1819-1827. [PMID: 36765175 PMCID: PMC10147614 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-023-02186-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most frequent cancer type. Drug resistance and toxicity are common challenges of the existing therapies, making the development of reliable preclinical models essential for the study of the involved molecular mechanisms as well as for eventual intervention approaches that improve the clinical outcome. Preclinical models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma have been traditionally based on cell lines and murine models. In this review, we will go over the most frequently used preclinical models, from immortalised-cell and primary tumour cultures in monolayer or 3D, to the currently available animal models. We will scrutinise their efficiency in mimicking the molecular and cellular complexity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Finally, the challenges and the opportunities of other envisaged putative approaches, as well as the potential of the preclinical models to further develop personalised therapies will be discussed.
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Fang Y, Chen M, Li G, Yang Y, He P, Chen J, Cheng L, Wu H. Cancer-associated fibroblast-like fibroblasts in vocal fold leukoplakia suppress CD8 +T cell functions by inducing IL-6 autocrine loop and interacting with Th17 cells. Cancer Lett 2022; 546:215839. [PMID: 35961512 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The characteristics of fibroblast cells in head and neck precancerous lesion and its ability to secrete inflammatory cytokines and affect CD8+T cell functions remain unclear. Herein, we reported the existence of fibroblasts in human-derived vocal fold leukoplakia (VFL) with positive staining of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). The fibroblasts from VFL and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) displayed similar cellular functions and robust inflammatory cytokine secretions. The effects of fibroblasts from VFL in inducing the apoptosis, depletion of CD8+ T cells and recruitment of regulatory T cells (Treg cells) were observed. We further assessed the autocrine loop within VFL fibroblasts to self-stimulate by secreting IL-6, TGF-β through the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway. The synergistic stimulation of IL-6 and TGF-β promoted Th17 cell differentiation and IL-17A secretion, which could result in fibroblast activation in another positive loop. Tocilizumab (TOC), a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-6R, managed to suppress the overexpression of both IL-6 and TGF-β in VFL fibroblasts, and thus blocking IL-6 autocrine loop and CAF-Th17 loop in vitro. In a murine model of oral leukoplakia (OL), local injection of TOC inhibited the outgrowth of lesions and showed notable effect in control of OL progression in vivo. Our findings establish a novel rationale for blocking the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway to inhibit vocal fold (oral) leukoplakia progression and postpone HNSCC tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Fang
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Min Chen
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Guangfei Li
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Yue Yang
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Peijie He
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Jian Chen
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| | - Lei Cheng
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| | - Haitao Wu
- ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Shanghai Key Clinical Disciplines of Otorhinolaryngology, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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Okuneye K, Bergman D, Bloodworth JC, Pearson AT, Sweis RF, Jackson TL. A validated mathematical model of FGFR3-mediated tumor growth reveals pathways to harness the benefits of combination targeted therapy and immunotherapy in bladder cancer. COMPUTATIONAL AND SYSTEMS ONCOLOGY 2022; 1. [PMID: 34984415 PMCID: PMC8722426 DOI: 10.1002/cso2.1019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer is a common malignancy with over 80,000 estimated new cases and nearly 18,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. Therapeutic options for metastatic bladder cancer had not evolved much for nearly four decades, until recently, when five immune checkpoint inhibitors were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Despite the activity of these drugs in some patients, the objective response rate for each is less than 25%. At the same time, fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) have been attractive drug targets for a variety of cancers, and in 2019 the FDA approved the first therapy targeted against FGFR3 for bladder cancer. Given the excitement around these new receptor tyrosine kinase and immune checkpoint targeted strategies, and the challenges they each may face on their own, emerging data suggest that combining these treatment options could lead to improved therapeutic outcomes. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model for FGFR3-mediated tumor growth and use it to investigate the impact of the combined administration of a small molecule inhibitor of FGFR3 and a monoclonal antibody against the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint. The model is carefully calibrated and validated with experimental data before survival benefits, and dosing schedules are explored. Predictions of the model suggest that FGFR3 mutation reduces the effectiveness of anti-PD-L1 therapy, that there are regions of parameter space where each monotherapy can outperform the other, and that pretreatment with anti-PD-L1 therapy always results in greater tumor reduction even when anti-FGFR3 therapy is the more effective monotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Bergman
- Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Bloodworth
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alexander T Pearson
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Randy F Sweis
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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den bossche VV, Zaryouh H, Vara-Messler M, Vignau J, Machiels JP, Wouters A, Schmitz S, Corbet C. Microenvironment-driven intratumoral heterogeneity in head and neck cancers: clinical challenges and opportunities for precision medicine. Drug Resist Updat 2022; 60:100806. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drup.2022.100806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Aytatli A, Barlak N, Sanli F, Caglar HO, Gundogdu B, Tatar A, Ittmann M, Karatas OF. AZD4547 targets the FGFR/Akt/SOX2 axis to overcome paclitaxel resistance in head and neck cancer. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2021; 45:41-56. [PMID: 34837170 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-021-00645-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Development of chemoresistance is one of the major obstacles to the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The PI3K/Akt pathway, involved in drug resistance, has been found to be overactivated in > 90% of HNSCCs. Aberrant activation of the FGF receptors (FGFRs) has been reported to cause overactivation of the PI3K/Akt pathway and to be associated with the maintenance of stem cell features, which is controlled via SOX2 expression. In this study, we aimed at investigating the potential of using AZD4547, an orally bioavailable FGFR inhibitor, to overcome taxol-resistance by targeting the FGFR/Akt/SOX2 axis in HNSCC. METHODS We initially evaluated FGFR2 and SOX2 expression using in silico tools. We analyzed the FGFR/Akt/SOX2 axis in normal/tumor tissue pairs and in recombinant FGF2 treated HNSCC cells. Next, we explored the effects of AZD4547 alone and in combination with taxol on the proliferation, migration and colony forming capacities of parental/taxol-resistant cells using in vitro models. RESULTS We found that the p-FGFR, p-AKT, p-GSK-3β and SOX2 expression levels were higher in tumor tissues than in its corresponding normal tissues, and that AZD4547 effectively suppressed the expression of FGFR and its downstream targets in recombinant FGF2 treated HNSCC cells. We also found that AZD4547 diminished the viability, migration and colony forming capacity of HNSCC cells, and that co-treatment with taxol potentiated the impact of taxol on these cells. Finally, we found that AZD4547 inhibited the overexpressed FGFR/Akt/SOX2 axis and profoundly suppressed cancer-related phenotypes in taxol-resistant HNSCC cells. CONCLUSION From our data we conclude that AZD4547 may increase the impact of taxol during HNSCC treatment. We suggest AZD4547 as a therapeutic agent to overcome taxol-resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulmelik Aytatli
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Erzurum Technical University, Omer Nasuhi Bilmen Mah. Havaalani Yolu Cad. No: 53 Yakutiye, Erzurum, Turkey
- Molecular Cancer Biology Laboratory, High Technology Application and Research Center, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Neslisah Barlak
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Erzurum Technical University, Omer Nasuhi Bilmen Mah. Havaalani Yolu Cad. No: 53 Yakutiye, Erzurum, Turkey
- Molecular Cancer Biology Laboratory, High Technology Application and Research Center, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Fatma Sanli
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Erzurum Technical University, Omer Nasuhi Bilmen Mah. Havaalani Yolu Cad. No: 53 Yakutiye, Erzurum, Turkey
- Molecular Cancer Biology Laboratory, High Technology Application and Research Center, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Hasan Onur Caglar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Erzurum Technical University, Omer Nasuhi Bilmen Mah. Havaalani Yolu Cad. No: 53 Yakutiye, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Betul Gundogdu
- Department of Medical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Arzu Tatar
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Michael Ittmann
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Michael E. DeBakey VAMC, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Omer Faruk Karatas
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Erzurum Technical University, Omer Nasuhi Bilmen Mah. Havaalani Yolu Cad. No: 53 Yakutiye, Erzurum, Turkey.
- Molecular Cancer Biology Laboratory, High Technology Application and Research Center, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, Turkey.
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