Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology Unit, Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, 35100 Padova, Italy.
Bioacustic Research Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, 35100 Padova, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jun 27;24(13):10733. doi: 10.3390/ijms241310733.
Despite refinements to diagnostic and therapeutic approaches over the last two decades, the outcome of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has not shown substantial improvements, especially regarding those with advanced-stage disease. Angiogenesis is believed to be a turning point in the development of solid tumors, being a premise for mass growth and potential distant dissemination. Cancer-induced angiogenesis is a result of increased expression of angiogenic factors, decreased expression of anti-angiogenic factors, or a combination of both. The assessment of angiogenesis has also emerged as a potentially useful biological prognostic and predictive factor in HNSCC. The aim of this review is to assess the level of current knowledge on the neo-angiogenesis markers involved in the biology, behavior, and prognosis of HNSCC. A search (between 1 January 2012 and 10 October 2022) was run in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases. After full-text screening and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 84 articles are included. The current knowledge and debate on angiogenesis in HNSCC presented in the eligible articles are stratified as follows: (i) diagnostic markers; (ii) prognostic markers; (iii) predictive markers; and (iv) markers with a potential therapeutic role. Angiogenesis is a biological and pathological indicator of malignancies progression and has negative implications in prognosis of some solid tumors; several signals capable of tripping the "angiogenic switch" have also been identified in HNSCC. Although several studies suggested that antiangiogenic agents might be a valuable adjunct to conventional chemo-radiation of HNSCC, their long-term therapeutic value remains uncertain. Further investigations are required on combinations of antiangiogenic agents with conventional chemotherapeutic ones, immunotherapeutic and molecularly targeted agents in HNSCC. Additional data are necessary to pinpoint which patients could benefit most from these treatments.
尽管在过去的二十年中，对诊断和治疗方法进行了改进，但头颈部鳞状细胞癌 (HNSCC) 患者的预后并未显示出实质性改善，尤其是对于晚期疾病患者。血管生成被认为是实体瘤发展的一个转折点，是大量生长和潜在远处扩散的前提。肿瘤诱导的血管生成是血管生成因子表达增加、抗血管生成因子表达减少或两者结合的结果。血管生成的评估也已成为 HNSCC 中潜在有用的生物学预后和预测因素。本综述旨在评估与 HNSCC 的生物学、行为和预后相关的新血管生成标志物的当前知识水平。在 PubMed、Scopus 和 Web of Science 电子数据库中进行了搜索（2012 年 1 月 1 日至 2022 年 10 月 10 日）。经过全文筛选和纳入/排除标准的应用，共纳入 84 篇文章。对符合条件的文章中呈现的 HNSCC 血管生成的当前知识和争议进行了分层，如下所示：(i) 诊断标志物；(ii) 预后标志物；(iii) 预测标志物；和 (iv) 具有潜在治疗作用的标志物。血管生成是恶性肿瘤进展的生物学和病理学指标，对某些实体瘤的预后有负面影响；在 HNSCC 中也已经确定了几个能够触发“血管生成开关”的信号。尽管一些研究表明，抗血管生成剂可能是 HNSCC 常规放化疗的有益辅助手段，但它们的长期治疗价值仍不确定。需要进一步研究抗血管生成剂与传统化疗药物、免疫治疗和分子靶向药物联合应用于 HNSCC。需要更多的数据来确定哪些患者最能从这些治疗中受益。
