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Review
. 2019 May 2;11(5):616.
doi: 10.3390/cancers11050616.

Cancer Stem Cells in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Identification, Characterization and Clinical Implications

Claudia Peitzsch  1   2   3 , Jacqueline Nathansen  4 , Sebastian I Schniewind  5 , Franziska Schwarz  6   7   8 , Anna Dubrovska  9   10   11
Affiliations
Review

Cancer Stem Cells in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Identification, Characterization and Clinical Implications

Claudia Peitzsch et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Despite advances in the treatment management, locally advanced disease has a poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 50%. The growth of HNSCC is maintained by a population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) which possess unlimited self-renewal potential and induce tumor regrowth if not completely eliminated by therapy. The population of CSCs is not only a promising target for tumor treatment, but also an important biomarker to identify the patients at risk for therapeutic failure and disease progression. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent pre-clinical and clinical studies on the biology and potential therapeutic implications of HNSCC stem cells.

Keywords: HNSCC; biomarkers; cancer stem cells; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; therapy resistance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Selected markers for cancer stem cell (CSC) enrichment, targeting and prognostication in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Abbreviations: ALDH: Aldehyde dehydrogenases; ABC transporters: ATP-binding cassette transporters; CD98hc: CD98 heavy chain; EGFR: Epidermal growth factor receptor; EMT: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; LAT1: L-Type Amino acid transporter 1; SMO: Smoothened, Frizzled class receptor.
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