Gunduz Mehmet, Gunduz Esra, Tamagawa Shunji, Enomoto Keisuke, Hotomi Muneki
Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Shinmatsudo Central Hospital, Shinmatsudo 1-380, Matsudoshi 270-0034, Chiba, Japan.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Wakayama Medical University, Kimiidera 811-1, Wakayamashi 641-8509, Wakayama, Japan.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Aug 2;13(15):3878. doi: 10.3390/cancers13153878.
Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), which is a common type of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), is associated with tobacco and alcohol use, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Underlying mechanisms and as a result prognosis of the HPV-positive and HPV-negative OPC patients are different. Like stem cells, the ability of self-renewal and differentiate, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have roles in tumor invasion, metastasis, drug resistance, and recurrence after therapy. Research revealed their roles to some extent in all of these processes but there are still many unresolved points to connect to CSC-targeted therapy. In this review, we will focus on what we currently know about CSCs of OPC and limitations of our current knowledge. We will present perspectives that will broaden our understanding and recent literature which may connect to therapy.
口咽癌（OPC）是头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）的一种常见类型，与烟草和酒精使用以及人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染有关。HPV阳性和HPV阴性OPC患者的潜在机制以及预后有所不同。癌症干细胞（CSC）如同干细胞一样，具有自我更新和分化能力，在肿瘤侵袭、转移、耐药性以及治疗后复发中发挥作用。研究在一定程度上揭示了它们在所有这些过程中的作用，但在与CSC靶向治疗相关的方面仍有许多未解决的问题。在本综述中，我们将聚焦于目前我们所了解的OPC的癌症干细胞以及我们现有知识的局限性。我们将呈现一些观点，这些观点将拓宽我们的理解，以及可能与治疗相关的近期文献。
