The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer Therapy
Similarly to other types of malignant tumours, the incidence of head and neck cancer is increasing globally. It is frequently associated with smoking and alcohol abuse, and in a broader sense also with prolonged exposure to these factors during ageing. A higher incidence of tumours observed in young...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-03-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/11/4/440 |
| _version_ | 1797716897535361024 |
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| author | Jan Plzák Jan Bouček Veronika Bandúrová Michal Kolář Miluše Hradilová Pavol Szabo Lukáš Lacina Martin Chovanec Karel Smetana |
| author_facet | Jan Plzák Jan Bouček Veronika Bandúrová Michal Kolář Miluše Hradilová Pavol Szabo Lukáš Lacina Martin Chovanec Karel Smetana |
| author_sort | Jan Plzák |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Similarly to other types of malignant tumours, the incidence of head and neck cancer is increasing globally. It is frequently associated with smoking and alcohol abuse, and in a broader sense also with prolonged exposure to these factors during ageing. A higher incidence of tumours observed in younger populations without a history of alcohol and tobacco abuse may be due to HPV infection. Malignant tumours form an intricate ecosystem of cancer cells, fibroblasts, blood/lymphatic capillaries and infiltrating immune cells. This dynamic system, the tumour microenvironment, has a significant impact on the biological properties of cancer cells. The microenvironment participates in the control of local aggressiveness of cancer cells, their growth, and their consequent migration to lymph nodes and distant organs during metastatic spread. In cancers originating from squamous epithelium, a similarity was demonstrated between the cancer microenvironment and healing wounds. In this review, we focus on the specificity of the microenvironment of head and neck cancer with emphasis on the mechanism of intercellular crosstalk manipulation for potential therapeutic application. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T08:28:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f281d87d4c4047de8f5fd03bd37cba57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T08:28:17Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-f281d87d4c4047de8f5fd03bd37cba572023-09-02T17:58:07ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942019-03-0111444010.3390/cancers11040440cancers11040440The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer TherapyJan Plzák0Jan Bouček1Veronika Bandúrová2Michal Kolář3Miluše Hradilová4Pavol Szabo5Lukáš Lacina6Martin Chovanec7Karel Smetana8Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague 15006, Czech RepublicDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague 15006, Czech RepublicDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague 15006, Czech RepublicInstitute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 14220, Czech RepublicInstitute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 14220, Czech RepublicInstitute of Anatomy, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague 12800, Czech RepublicInstitute of Anatomy, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague 12800, Czech RepublicDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague 10034, Czech RepublicInstitute of Anatomy, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague 12800, Czech RepublicSimilarly to other types of malignant tumours, the incidence of head and neck cancer is increasing globally. It is frequently associated with smoking and alcohol abuse, and in a broader sense also with prolonged exposure to these factors during ageing. A higher incidence of tumours observed in younger populations without a history of alcohol and tobacco abuse may be due to HPV infection. Malignant tumours form an intricate ecosystem of cancer cells, fibroblasts, blood/lymphatic capillaries and infiltrating immune cells. This dynamic system, the tumour microenvironment, has a significant impact on the biological properties of cancer cells. The microenvironment participates in the control of local aggressiveness of cancer cells, their growth, and their consequent migration to lymph nodes and distant organs during metastatic spread. In cancers originating from squamous epithelium, a similarity was demonstrated between the cancer microenvironment and healing wounds. In this review, we focus on the specificity of the microenvironment of head and neck cancer with emphasis on the mechanism of intercellular crosstalk manipulation for potential therapeutic application.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/11/4/440cancercancer microenvironmentcancer ecosystemcancer-associated fibroblastextracellular matrixcytokineIL-6tumour-associated macrophagescancer therapy |
| spellingShingle | Jan Plzák Jan Bouček Veronika Bandúrová Michal Kolář Miluše Hradilová Pavol Szabo Lukáš Lacina Martin Chovanec Karel Smetana The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer Therapy Cancers cancer cancer microenvironment cancer ecosystem cancer-associated fibroblast extracellular matrix cytokine IL-6 tumour-associated macrophages cancer therapy |
| title | The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer Therapy |
| title_full | The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer Therapy |
| title_fullStr | The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer Therapy |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer Therapy |
| title_short | The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment as a Potential Target for Cancer Therapy |
| title_sort | head and neck squamous cell carcinoma microenvironment as a potential target for cancer therapy |
| topic | cancer cancer microenvironment cancer ecosystem cancer-associated fibroblast extracellular matrix cytokine IL-6 tumour-associated macrophages cancer therapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/11/4/440 |
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