Current Trends and Future Prospects of Molecular Targeted Therapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Overview

Journal Int J Mol Sci

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Biochemistry
Chemistry
Molecular Biology

Date 2021 Jan 1

PMID 33383632

Citations 95

Authors

Naoya Kitamura

Shinya Sento

Yasumasa Yoshizawa

Eri Sasabe

Yasusei Kudo

Tetsuya Yamamoto

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In recent years, advances in drug therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have progressed rapidly. In addition to cytotoxic anti-cancer agents such as platinum-based drug (cisplatin and carboplatin) and taxane-based drugs (docetaxel and paclitaxel), epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (cetuximab) and immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibodies (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) have come to be used. The importance of anti-cancer drug therapy is increasing year by year. Therefore, we summarize clinical trials of molecular targeted therapy and biomarkers in HNSCC from previous studies. Here we show the current trends and future prospects of molecular targeted therapy in HNSCC.

Citing Articles

Integrative single cell transcriptomic analysis reveals 3p deletion associated tumor microenvironment and chemoresistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Chen X, Xu S, Pan J, Xu W, Yang H, Chen X Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):8224.

PMID: 40064955 PMC: 11893908. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-92078-6.

Identification of a Lactate Accumulation Model to Explain the Heterogeneity in Prognosis, Immune Landscape, and Tumor Environment for HNSCC patients.

Jin Y, Xiao X, Xiang J, Yu T, Wang T, Zhou Y J Cancer. 2025; 16(5):1668-1683.

PMID: 39991576 PMC: 11843242. DOI: 10.7150/jca.99560.

Inhibition of platin-induced BCL2 increase overcomes chemoresistance in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck through resensitization to cell death.

Becker A, Klauk F, Freitag T, Struder D, Schneider B, Zimpfer A Transl Oncol. 2025; 53:102308.

PMID: 39970625 PMC: 11880736. DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2025.102308.

Multiple machine learning-based integrations of multi-omics data to identify molecular subtypes and construct a prognostic model for HNSCC.

Luo X, Li C, Qin G Hereditas. 2025; 162(1):17.

PMID: 39910672 PMC: 11800565. DOI: 10.1186/s41065-025-00380-0.

Evaluating H2BC9 as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Wu L, Li L, Zhu M, Zhou Z, Su X, Jiang Y Eur J Med Res. 2025; 30(1):54.

PMID: 39865289 PMC: 11771076. DOI: 10.1186/s40001-025-02301-3.

References

Ferris R, Blumenschein Jr G, Fayette J, Guigay J, Colevas A, Licitra L . Nivolumab vs investigator's choice in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: 2-year long-term survival update of CheckMate 141 with analyses by tumor PD-L1 expression. Oral Oncol. 2018; 81:45-51. PMC: 6563923. DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2018.04.008. View

Wakasaki T, Yasumatsu R, Masuda M, Takeuchi T, Manako T, Matsuo M . Prognostic Biomarkers of Salvage Chemotherapy Following Nivolumab Treatment for Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel). 2020; 12(8). PMC: 7463840. DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082299. View

Muro K, Yoshino T, Doi T, Shirao K, Takiuchi H, Hamamoto Y . A phase 2 clinical trial of panitumumab monotherapy in Japanese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2009; 39(5):321-6. DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyp016. View

Magrini S, Buglione M, Corvo R, Pirtoli L, Paiar F, Ponticelli P . Cetuximab and Radiotherapy Versus Cisplatin and Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Phase II Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2015; 34(5):427-35. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2015.63.1671. View

Gomes-da-Silva L, Kepp O, Kroemer G . Regulatory approval of photoimmunotherapy: photodynamic therapy that induces immunogenic cell death. Oncoimmunology. 2020; 9(1):1841393. PMC: 7595598. DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2020.1841393. View

Schoenfeld J, Hanna G, Jo V, Rawal B, Chen Y, Catalano P . Neoadjuvant Nivolumab or Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Untreated Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Phase 2 Open-Label Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2020; 6(10):1563-1570. PMC: 7453348. DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.2955. View

Montagut C, Argiles G, Ciardiello F, Poulsen T, Dienstmann R, Kragh M . Efficacy of Sym004 in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer With Acquired Resistance to Anti-EGFR Therapy and Molecularly Selected by Circulating Tumor DNA Analyses: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2018; 4(4):e175245. PMC: 5885274. DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.5245. View

Cheng Y, He C, Wang M, Ma X, Mo F, Yang S . Targeting epigenetic regulators for cancer therapy: mechanisms and advances in clinical trials. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2019; 4:62. PMC: 6915746. DOI: 10.1038/s41392-019-0095-0. View

Iivanainen S, Ahvonen J, Aija Knuuttila , Tiainen S, Koivunen J . Elevated CRP levels indicate poor progression-free and overall survival on cancer patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors. ESMO Open. 2019; 4(4):e000531. PMC: 6735669. DOI: 10.1136/esmoopen-2019-000531. View

10.

Templeton A, McNamara M, Seruga B, Vera-Badillo F, Aneja P, Ocana A . Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014; 106(6):dju124. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/dju124. View

11.

Caponigro F, Massa E, Manzione L, Rosati G, Biglietto M, De Lucia L . Docetaxel and cisplatin in locally advanced or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a phase II study of the Southern Italy Cooperative Oncology Group (SICOG). Ann Oncol. 2001; 12(2):199-202. DOI: 10.1023/a:1008322415335. View

12.

Sunami K, Ichikawa H, Kubo T, Kato M, Fujiwara Y, Shimomura A . Feasibility and utility of a panel testing for 114 cancer-associated genes in a clinical setting: A hospital-based study. Cancer Sci. 2019; 110(4):1480-1490. PMC: 6447843. DOI: 10.1111/cas.13969. View

13.

Ferris R, Blumenschein Jr G, Fayette J, Guigay J, Colevas A, Licitra L . Nivolumab for Recurrent Squamous-Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. N Engl J Med. 2016; 375(19):1856-1867. PMC: 5564292. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1602252. View

14.

Snyder A, Makarov V, Merghoub T, Yuan J, Zaretsky J, Desrichard A . Genetic basis for clinical response to CTLA-4 blockade in melanoma. N Engl J Med. 2014; 371(23):2189-2199. PMC: 4315319. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1406498. View

15.

Kohsaka S, Nagano M, Ueno T, Suehara Y, Hayashi T, Shimada N . A method of high-throughput functional evaluation of gene variants of unknown significance in cancer. Sci Transl Med. 2017; 9(416). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aan6566. View

16.

Topalian S, Taube J, Anders R, Pardoll D . Mechanism-driven biomarkers to guide immune checkpoint blockade in cancer therapy. Nat Rev Cancer. 2016; 16(5):275-87. PMC: 5381938. DOI: 10.1038/nrc.2016.36. View

17.

Saleh K, Daste A, Martin N, Pons-Tostivint E, Auperin A, Herrera-Gomez R . Response to salvage chemotherapy after progression on immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Eur J Cancer. 2019; 121:123-129. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2019.08.026. View

18.

Rizvi N, Hellmann M, Snyder A, Kvistborg P, Makarov V, Havel J . Cancer immunology. Mutational landscape determines sensitivity to PD-1 blockade in non-small cell lung cancer. Science. 2015; 348(6230):124-8. PMC: 4993154. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1348. View

19.

De Roock W, Claes B, Bernasconi D, De Schutter J, Biesmans B, Fountzilas G . Effects of KRAS, BRAF, NRAS, and PIK3CA mutations on the efficacy of cetuximab plus chemotherapy in chemotherapy-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer: a retrospective consortium analysis. Lancet Oncol. 2010; 11(8):753-62. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(10)70130-3. View

20.

Nishinaga Y, Sato K, Yasui H, Taki S, Takahashi K, Shimizu M . Targeted Phototherapy for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy Targeting Podoplanin. Cells. 2020; 9(4). PMC: 7225918. DOI: 10.3390/cells9041019. View