Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany.
Oncol Rep. 2011 Aug;26(2):321-6. doi: 10.3892/or.2011.1322. Epub 2011 May 26.
In the recent past, evidence is increasing indicating the existence of a subpopulation of resistant tumor cells in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) that cannot be eradicated by established antineoplastic treatments. These cancer stem cells (CSCs) have features of somatic stem cells such as selfrenewal, proliferation and differentiation. CD44+ cells in tumors of the head and neck are referred to as CSCs of HNSCC. Expression profiling of CD44 in 29 HNSCC tumors was performed by fluorescence microscopy. ELISA analysis was performed to detect concentration of soluble CD44 in the peripheral blood of 29 HNSCC patients and 11 healthy controls. Expression of CD44 was determined in all HNSCC tissue samples (n=29). In all samples a surface staining pattern was found. The concentration of CD44 in the peripheral blood of HNSCC patients was significantly higher compared to a healthy control group (mHNSCC =13.5 ± 0.5 ng/ ml; mCont = 9.3 ± 0.6 ng/ml; P=0.6 x 10(-12)). The role of CD44 as a marker for CSCs in HNSCC remains to be ascertained. Further experiments might reveal its role as a diagnostic and prognostic factor, and possibly as a therapeutic target.
在最近的一段时间里，越来越多的证据表明，头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）中存在一小部分耐药肿瘤细胞亚群，这些细胞亚群不能被现有的抗肿瘤治疗方法根除。这些癌症干细胞（CSCs）具有体干细胞的特征，如自我更新、增殖和分化。头颈部肿瘤中的 CD44+细胞被称为 HNSCC 的 CSCs。通过荧光显微镜对头颈部 29 个 HNSCC 肿瘤进行了 CD44 的表达谱分析。通过 ELISA 分析检测了 29 名 HNSCC 患者和 11 名健康对照者外周血中可溶性 CD44 的浓度。在所有 HNSCC 组织样本中均测定了 CD44 的表达（n=29）。在所有样本中均发现了表面染色模式。HNSCC 患者外周血中 CD44 的浓度明显高于健康对照组（mHNSCC=13.5±0.5ng/ml；mCont=9.3±0.6ng/ml；P=0.6x10(-12))。CD44 作为 HNSCC 中 CSCs 的标志物的作用仍有待确定。进一步的实验可能会揭示其作为诊断和预后因素的作用，并可能作为治疗靶点。
