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Zhi Y, Wang Q, Zi M, Zhang S, Ge J, Liu K, Lu L, Fan C, Yan Q, Shi L, Chen P, Fan S, Liao Q, Guo C, Wang F, Gong Z, Xiong W, Zeng Z. Spatial Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Landscapes of Oral Submucous Fibrosis-Derived Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and its Tumor Microenvironment. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2306515. [PMID: 38229179 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202306515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
In South and Southeast Asia, the habit of chewing betel nuts is prevalent, which leads to oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). OSF is a well-established precancerous lesion, and a portion of OSF cases eventually progress to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the specific molecular mechanisms underlying the malignant transformation of OSCC from OSF are poorly understood. In this study, the leading-edge techniques of Spatial Transcriptomics (ST) and Spatial Metabolomics (SM) are integrated to obtain spatial location information of cancer cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells, as well as the transcriptomic and metabolomic landscapes in OSF-derived OSCC tissues. This work reveals for the first time that some OSF-derived OSCC cells undergo partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (pEMT) within the in situ carcinoma (ISC) region, eventually acquiring fibroblast-like phenotypes and participating in collagen deposition. Complex interactions among epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment are demonstrated. Most importantly, significant metabolic reprogramming in OSF-derived OSCC, including abnormal polyamine metabolism, potentially playing a pivotal role in promoting tumorigenesis and immune evasion is discovered. The ST and SM data in this study shed new light on deciphering the mechanisms of OSF-derived OSCC. The work also offers invaluable clues for the prevention and treatment of OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Qian Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Moxin Zi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Shanshan Zhang
- Department of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China
| | - Junshang Ge
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Keyue Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
| | - Linsong Lu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
| | - Chunmei Fan
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Qijia Yan
- Department of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China
| | - Lei Shi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
| | - Pan Chen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Songqing Fan
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
| | - Qianjin Liao
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Can Guo
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Fuyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Zhaojian Gong
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Wei Xiong
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Zhaoyang Zeng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute and School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
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Dou H, Song C, Wang X, Feng Z, Su Y, Wang H. Integrated bioinformatics analysis of SEMA3C in tongue squamous cell carcinoma using machine-learning strategies. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:58. [PMID: 38321460 PMCID: PMC10845809 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03247-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is an aggressive oral cancer with a high incidence of metastasis and poor prognosis. We aim to identify and verify potential biomarkers for TSCC using bioinformatics analysis. To begin with, we examined clinical and RNA expression information of individuals with TSCC from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differential expression analysis and functional analysis were conducted. Multiple machine-learning strategies were next employed to screen and determine the hub gene, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess diagnostic value. Semaphorin3C (SEMA3C) was identified as a critical biomarker, presenting high diagnostic accuracy for TSCC. In the validation cohorts, SEMA3C exhibited high expression levels in TSCC. The high expression of SEMA3C was a poor prognostic factor in TSCC by the Kaplan-Meier curve. Based on the Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, SEMA3C was mapped in terms related to cell adhesion, positive regulation of JAK-STAT, positive regulation of stem cell maintenance, and positive regulation of NF-κB activity. Single-cell RNA sequencing (ScRNA-seq) analysis showed cells expressing SEMA3C were predominantly tumor cells. Then, we further verified that SEMA3C had high expression in TSCC clinical samples. In addition, the knockdown of SEMA3C suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TSCC cells in vitro. This study is the first to report the involvement of SEMA3C in TSCC, suggesting that upregulated SEMA3C could be a novel and critical potential biomarker for future predictive diagnostics, prevention, prognostic assessment, and personalized medical services in TSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huixin Dou
- Department of Stomatology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Can Song
- Research and Development Department, Allife Medicine Inc., Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Department of Stomatology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China
- Beijing Laboratory of Oral Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhien Feng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial & Head and Neck Oncology, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yingying Su
- Department of Stomatology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China.
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Stomatology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China.
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Li Z, Zheng C, Liu H, Lv J, Wang Y, Zhang K, Kong S, Chen F, Kong Y, Yang X, Cheng Y, Yang Z, Zhang C, Tian Y. A novel oxidative stress-related gene signature as an indicator of prognosis and immunotherapy responses in HNSCC. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:14957-14984. [PMID: 38157249 PMCID: PMC10781479 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To identify molecular subtypes of oxidative stress-related genes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to construct a scoring model of oxidative stress-related genes. METHODS R language based scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq analyses were used to identify molecular isoforms of oxidative stress-related genes in HNSCC. An oxidative stress-related gene scoring (OSRS) model was constructed, which were verified through online data and immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples. RESULTS Using TCGA-HNSCC datasets, nine predictive genes for overall patient survival, rarely reported in previous similar studies, were screened. AREG and CES1 were identified as prognostic risk factors. CSTA, FDCSP, JCHAIN, IFFO2, PGLYRP4, SPOCK2 and SPINK6 were identified as prognostic factors. Collectively, all genes formed a prognostic risk signature model for oxidative stress in HNSCC, which were validated in GSE41613, GSE103322 and PRJEB23709 datasets. Immunohistochemical staining of SPINK6 in nasopharyngeal cancer samples validated the gene panel. Subsequent analysis indicated that subgroups of the oxidative stress prognostic signature played important roles during cellular communication, the immune microenvironment, the differential activation of transcription factors, oxidative stress and immunotherapeutic responses. CONCLUSIONS The risk model might predict HNSCC prognosis and immunotherapeutic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoqi Li
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
- Radiotherapy Department, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Chunning Zheng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, P.R. China
| | - Hongtao Liu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Shandong Lung Cancer Institute, Shandong Institute of Nephrology, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Jiling Lv
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Generalsurgery Department, Wenshang County People’s Hospital, Wenshang, Shandong 272500, P.R. China
| | - Shuai Kong
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong 250021, P.R. China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, P.R. China
| | - Yongmei Kong
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
- Radiotherapy Department, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
| | - Xiaowei Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Intervention, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, P.R. China
| | - Yuxia Cheng
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Shandong Lung Cancer Institute, Shandong Institute of Nephrology, Jinan, Shandong 250014, P.R. China
| | - Zhensong Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China
| | - Chi Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250033, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Tian
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
- Radiotherapy Department, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250299, P.R. China
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Gao Y, Wan L, Li M, Wang B, Ma Y. NRF2/HO-1 axis, BIRC5, and TP53 expression in ESCC and its correlation with clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis. Int J Biol Markers 2023; 38:174-184. [PMID: 37312528 DOI: 10.1177/03936155231176571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many types of cancer exhibit high nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), which is effective in resisting drugs and radiation. However, the role of NRF2 gene expression in predicting the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. METHODS The association between NRF2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), baculovirus IAP repeat 5 (BIRC5), P53 gene expression levels and their relationship to immune-infiltrating cells were assessed using the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset, the Human Protein Atlas and the TISDB database. The expression of NRF2, HO-1, BIRC5, and TP53 in 118 ESCC patients was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the relationship between their expression level and clinicopathological parameters and prognosis was analyzed. RESULTS In ESCC, NRF2 overexpression was significantly associated with Han ethnicity, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. HO-1 overexpression was significantly associated with differentiation, advanced clinical staging, lymph node metastasis, nerve invasion, and distant metastasis. BIRC5 overexpression was significantly associated with Han ethnicity and lymph node metastasis. TP53 overexpression was significantly associated with Han ethnicity and T staging. The NRF2/HO-1 axis expression was positively correlated with BIRC5 and TP53. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that NRF2, BIRC5, and TP53 genes co-expression was an independent prognostic risk factor. TISIDB dataset analysis showed that immune-infiltrating cells were significantly negatively correlated with NRF2 and BIRC5. CONCLUSION NRF2, BIRC5, and TP53 axis gene expressions are predictors of poor prognosis for ESCC. The overexpression of the NRF2/HO-1/BIRC5 axis may not be related to immune-infiltrating cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongmei Gao
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Li Wan
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Mengyan Li
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
| | - Yuqing Ma
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
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Li Q, Zhang J, Xiao S, Hu M, Cheng J, Yao C, Zhuang Q. The impact of liver fibrosis on the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via a hypoxia-immune-integrated prognostic model. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 125:111136. [PMID: 37935090 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The impact of liver fibrosis on the deterioration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. We hope to explore this issue through establishing a fibrosis-hypoxia-glycolysis-immune related prognostic model. Liver fibrosis-related genes from Molecular Signatures Database were used to evaluate the degree of fibrosis in HCC patients from the TCGA database. The patients were divided into two groups using the fibrosis-related expression matrix based on the algorithm uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) and evaluated for fibrosis by UMAP cluster and gene enrichment analysis. Prognostic model was constructed by differential analysis, LASSO, and multivariate regression analysis. Immune-infiltration analysis was performed by CIBERSORT. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry were performed to measure the gene expression levels in HCC patients from our hospital. In 365 HCC patients from the TCGA database, 111 HCC patients with high fibrosis score have a worse prognosis than those with low fibrosis based on 129 genes related to liver fibrosis, which may be caused by the interaction between fibrosis, angiogenesis, hypoxia, glycolysis, inflammatory response, and high immune infiltration. We constructed a Fibrosis-Hypoxia-Glycolysis-Immune Prognostic Model (FHGISig), which could significantly predict disease progression in HCC patients. Furthermore, we revealed a close correlation between FHGISig and immune cell infiltration level as well as immune checkpoints. Finally, PCR results found TFF3 mRNA was significantly lower in cirrhotic HCC patients compared with non-cirrhotic ones. Liver fibrosis is a poor-prognostic factor for HCC, and our FHGISig could significantly predict disease progression, which could also be a potential predictive marker for immunotherapy in HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyuan Li
- Department of Hematology, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Junbo Zhang
- Transplantation Center, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Sheng Xiao
- Department of Pathology, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Min Hu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan 570105, China
| | - Jie Cheng
- Department of Hematology, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Chenjiao Yao
- Department of General Medicine, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China.
| | - Quan Zhuang
- Transplantation Center, The 3rd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China; Research Center of National Health Ministry on Transplantation Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China.
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A Novel CXCR4-Targeted Diphtheria Toxin Nanoparticle Inhibits Invasion and Metastatic Dissemination in a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Mouse Model. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14040887. [PMID: 35456719 PMCID: PMC9032726 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14040887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Loco-regional recurrences and metastasis represent the leading causes of death in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients, highlighting the need for novel therapies. Chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) has been related to loco-regional and distant recurrence and worse patient prognosis. In this regard, we developed a novel protein nanoparticle, T22-DITOX-H6, aiming to selectively deliver the diphtheria toxin cytotoxic domain to CXCR4+ HNSCC cells. The antimetastatic effect of T22-DITOX-H6 was evaluated in vivo in an orthotopic mouse model. IVIS imaging system was utilized to assess the metastatic dissemination in the mouse model. Immunohistochemistry and histopathological analyses were used to study the CXCR4 expression in the cancer cells, to evaluate the effect of the nanotoxin treatment, and its potential off-target toxicity. In this study, we report that CXCR4+ cancer cells were present in the invasive tumor front in an orthotopic mouse model. Upon repeated T22-DITOX-H6 administration, the number of CXCR4+ cancer cells was significantly reduced. Similarly, nanotoxin treatment effectively blocked regional and distant metastatic dissemination in the absence of systemic toxicity in the metastatic HNSCC mouse model. The repeated administration of T22-DITOX-H6 clearly abrogates tumor invasiveness and metastatic dissemination without inducing any off-target toxicity. Thus, T22-DITOX-H6 holds great promise for the treatment of CXCR4+ HNSCC patients presenting worse prognosis.
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