Methods for Overcoming Chemoresistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Keeping the Focus on Cancer Stem Cells, a Systematic Review

Maria Eleonora Bizzoca; Vito Carlo Alberto Caponio; Lorenzo Lo Muzio; Pier Paolo Claudio; Antonio Cortese

doi:10.3390/cancers16173004

Methods for Overcoming Chemoresistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Keeping the Focus on Cancer Stem Cells, a Systematic Review

Cancers (Basel). 2024 Aug 29;16(17):3004. doi: 10.3390/cancers16173004.

Authors

Maria Eleonora Bizzoca¹, Vito Carlo Alberto Caponio¹, Lorenzo Lo Muzio¹, Pier Paolo Claudio², Antonio Cortese³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy.
² Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cancer Center & Research Institute, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA.
³ Unit of Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84084 Salerno, Italy.

Abstract

According to the "cancer stem cell" (CSCs) theory, tumors are a diverse and expanding group of malignant cells that originate from a small number of CSCs. Despite treatment, these cells can still become active and proliferate, which can result in distant metastasis and local recurrences. A new paradigm in cancer treatment involves targeting both CSCs and the cancer cells in a tumor. This review aims to examine the literature on methods published to overcome chemoresistance due to the presence of CSCs in head and neck cancers. The review was registered with PROSPERO (ID# CRD42024512809). After Pub Med, Scopus, and WoS database searches, 31 relevant articles on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were selected. Compounds that increased chemosensitivity by targeting CSCs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) were divided into (1) natural products, (2) adjuvant molecules to traditional chemotherapy, and (3) CSCs targeting patient-specific fresh biopsies for functional precision medicine.

Keywords: ChemoID; cancer stem cells; functional precision medicine; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; natural products; oral squamous cells carcinoma.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

Research reported in this publication was partially supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM121334 to PPC The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.