Vasculogenic Mimicry in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma-Time to Take Notice

Advance in vasculogenic mimicry in ovarian cancer (Review)

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a common and highly prevalent malignant tumor in women, associated with a high mortality rate, easy recurrence and easy metastasis, which is predominantly at an advanced stage when detected in patients. This renders the cancer more difficult to treat, and consequently it is also associated with a low survival rate, being the malignancy with the highest mortality rate among the various gynecological tumors. As an important factor affecting the development and metastasis of OC, understanding the underlying mechanism(s) through which it is formed and developed is crucial in terms of its treatment. At present, the therapeutic methods of angiogenic mimicry for OC remain in the preliminary stages of exploration and have not been applied in actual clinical practice. In the present review, various signaling pathways and factors affecting angiogenic mimicry in OC were described, and the chemical synthetic drugs, natural compound extracts, small-molecule protein antibodies and their associated targets, and so on, that target angiogenic mimicry in the treatment of OC, were discussed. The purpose of this review was to provide new research ideas and potential theoretical support for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for OC that may be applied in the clinic, with the aim of effectively reducing its metastasis and recurrence rates.

The participation of tumor residing pericytes in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Pericytes are perivascular cells related to vessel structure and angiogenesis that can interact with neoplastic cells, interfering with cancer progression and outcomes. This study focused on the characterization of pericytes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) using clinical samples and a transgenic mouse model of oral carcinogenesis. Nestin^-/NG2⁺ (type-1) and nestin⁺/NG2⁺ (type-2) pericytes were analyzed by direct fluorescence after induction of oral carcinogenesis (4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide). Gene expression of neuron glial antigen-2 (NG2), platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR-β), and cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) was examined in human OSCC tissues. The protein expression of von Willebrand factor and NG2 was assessed in oral leukoplakia (i.e., oral potentially malignant disorders) and OSCC samples. Additionally, clinicopathological aspects and survival data were correlated and validated by bioinformatics using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Induction of carcinogenesis in mice produced an increase in both NG2⁺ pericyte subsets. In human OSCC, advanced-stage tumors showed a significant reduction in CD31 mRNA and von Willebrand factor-positive vessels. Low PDGFR-β expression was related to a shorter disease-free survival time, while NG2 mRNA overexpression was associated with a reduction in overall survival, consistent with the TCGA data. Herein, oral carcinogenesis resulted in an increase in NG2⁺ pericytes, which negatively affected survival outcomes.

Identity matters: cancer stem cells and tumour plasticity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents frequent yet aggressive tumours that encompass complex ecosystems of stromal and neoplastic components including a dynamic population of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Recently, research in the field of CSCs has gained increased momentum owing in part to their role in tumourigenicity, metastasis, therapy resistance and relapse. We provide herein a comprehensive assessment of the latest progress in comprehending CSC plasticity, including newly discovered influencing factors and their possible application in HNSCC. We further discuss the dynamic interplay of CSCs within tumour microenvironment considering our evolving appreciation of the contribution of oral microbiota and the pressing need for relevant models depicting their features. In sum, CSCs and tumour plasticity represent an exciting and expanding battleground with great implications for cancer therapy that are only beginning to be appreciated in head and neck oncology.

Vasculogenic mimicry

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) refers to the ability of malignant cells to form microvascular channels, having nature of blood vessels but are not endothelium lined. These channels contain blood cells & plasma and provide sufficient nutrient supply to the cancerous cells to meet their metabolic demands. VM can be seen in various tumors and is associated with their malignant phenotype, high tumor grade, invasion, metastasis and poor clinical outcome. In this paper, we made an attempt to explain the mechanism, visualisation and prognostic significance of vasculogenic mimicry.

Serum expression of Vascular Endothelial-Cadherin, CD44, Human High mobility group B1, Kallikrein 6 proteins in different stages of laryngeal intraepithelial lesions and early glottis cancer

Background

The study was designed to evaluate the potential validity and utility of selected molecular markers in serum samples from patients with specific stages of laryngeal intraepithelial lesions that could serve as diagnostic tools in differentiation of benign and dysplastic lesions from invasive pathologies.

Methods

Prospective study included 80 consecutive patients with vocal fold lesions treated at the single otorhinolaryngology centre. All participants had surgical resection of the lesion. Blood samples were collected from each patient before the surgery. Final diagnosis was confirmed on histopathological examination and included 39 (48.75%) non-dysplastic lesions, eight (10%) low-grade dysplasia, six (7.5%) high-grade dysplasia and 27 (33.75%) invasive cancers. The ELISA procedures were performed according to the manufacturer's instruction. Individual serum concentration of selected proteins was reported in ng/ml: Vascular Endothelial-Cadherin Complex (VE-cad), CD44, Human High mobility group protein B1(HMGB1), Kallikrein 6.

Results

The highest mean levels of HMGB1, KLK6 and VE-cad were detected in sera of patients with low-grade dysplasia (81.14, 24.33, 14.17 respectively). Soluble CD44 was the most elevated in patients with non-dysplastic lesions (2.49). The HMGB1, KLK6 and VE-cad serum levels were increasing from non-dysplastic to low-grade dysplasia and followed by the decrease for high-grade dysplasia and invasive cancer, however the differences were not significant (p-values 0.897, 0.354, 0.1 respectively). Patients' serum had the highest CD44 concentration in non-dysplastic and low-grade dysplasia with the following decrease through high-grade dysplasia and invasive cancer. GERD symptomatic patients had higher levels of KLK6 and CD44 than other patients (p-value 0.06 and 0.084 respectively). There were no significant differences of biomarkers levels related to patients' gender (p-value from 0.243 to 1) or smoking status (p-value from 0.22 to 0.706).

Conclusions

VE-cad, HMGB1, CD44 and KLK6 did not prove to be reliable biomarkers implicating malignant potential within vocal fold hypertrophic intraepithelial lesions.

Comparative Analysis of Vascular Mimicry in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches

Tissue vasculature provides the main conduit for metastasis in solid tumours including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Vascular mimicry (VM) is an endothelial cell (EC)-independent neovascularization pattern, whereby tumour cells generate a perfusable vessel-like meshwork. Yet, despite its promising clinical utility, there are limited approaches to better identify VM in HNSCC and what factors may influence such a phenomenon in vitro. Therefore, we employed different staining procedures to assess their utility in identifying VM in tumour sections, wherein mosaic vessels may also be adopted to further assess the VM-competent cell phenotype. Using 13 primary and metastatic HNSCC cell lines in addition to murine- and human-derived matrices, we elucidated the impact of the extracellular matrix, tumour cell type, and density on the formation and morphology of cell-derived tubulogenesis in HNSCC. We then delineated the optimal cell numbers needed to obtain a VM meshwork in vitro, which revealed cell-specific variations and yet consistent expression of the EC marker CD31. Finally, we proposed the zebrafish larvae as a simple and cost-effective model to evaluate VM development in vivo. Taken together, our findings offer a valuable resource for designing future studies that may facilitate the therapeutic exploitation of VM in HNSCC and other tumours.