Preoperative intra-arterial chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin, and peplomycin combined with intravenous chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil for oral squamous cell carcinoma

Pathological primary tumor status, rather than adjuvant therapy, predicts survival outcomes in pT1-3N1M0 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: A nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

Theeighth edition oftheAmerican Joint Committee onCancer (AJCC) Staging Manualclassifies pT1-3N1M0 oralcavity squamous cellcarcinoma (OCSCC) asp-Stage III. However, the prognosis within this group is heterogeneous, and the clinical benefit of adjuvant therapy for patients with a single nodal metastasis remains unclear.Here, we analyzed nationwide data from Taiwan to assess survival outcomes and examine the role of adjuvant therapy in this population.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 1324 pT1-3N1M0 OCSCC patients who underwent surgical resection between 2011 and 2021 was conducted using data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry and National Health Insurance Research Database. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to identify independent prognostic factors for disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Among the cohort, 247 patients (18.7 %) had pT1N1, 699 (52.8 %) had pT2N1, and 378 (28.5 %) had pT3N1 disease. The 5-year DSS rates for pT1N1, pT2N1, and pT3N1 were 82 %, 79 %, and 69 %, respectively, while OS rates were 73 %, 70 %, and 60 % (both p < 0.0001). No significant differences in DSS or OS were observed between surgery alone and adjuvant therapy. In multivariable analysis, pT3N1 disease was independently associated with worse survival outcomes (HR: 1.76,p = 0.0011 for DSS; HR: 1.63,p = 0.0005 for OS), whereas adjuvant therapies were not independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSION

Among patients with pT1-3N1M0 OCSCC, those presenting with pT3N1 disease demonstrated significantly poorer DSS and OS. Notably, in patients lacking additional adverse pathological features, the omission of adjuvant therapy did not adversely impact survival endpoints.

New induction chemotherapy using intra-arterial infusion for tongue squamous cell carcinoma to avoid reconstructive surgery: A 6 case reports

Most tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) classified as T3 require reconstructive surgery, which inevitably causes problems with oral functions. We propose new induction chemotherapy using intra-arterial infusion for TSCC classified as T3 to avoid reconstructive surgery. This chemotherapy regimen consists of intra-arterial infusion of docetaxel and cisplatin and systemic administration of 5-fluorouracil. As a result of this treatment, the therapeutic effect was a complete response in five patients and a partial response in one patient, and the overall response rate was 100%. All six patients underwent partial resection because their tumors shrank with this induction chemotherapy. In addition, adverse events of grade 3 or more did not occur in all six patients. The median follow-up duration for all patients was 34 months, and they are alive. This intra-arterial chemotherapy regimen was shown to be highly efficacious and safe.

Macrophage membrane-camouflaged pH-sensitive nanoparticles for targeted therapy of oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Oral cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the head and neck, and 90% of cases are oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Chemotherapy is an important component of comprehensive treatment for OSCC. However, the clinical treatment effect of chemotherapy drugs, such as doxorubicin (DOX), is limited due to the lack of tumor targeting and rapid clearance by the immune system. Thus, based on the tumor-targeting and immune evasion abilities of macrophages, macrophage membrane-encapsulated poly(methyl vinyl ether alt maleic anhydride)-phenylboronic acid-doxorubicin nanoparticles (MM@PMVEMA-PBA-DOX NPs), briefly as MM@DOX NPs, were designed to target OSCC. The boronate ester bonds between PBA and DOX responded to the low pH value in the tumor microenvironment, selectively releasing the loaded DOX.

RESULTS

The results showed that MM@DOX NPs exhibited uniform particle size and typical core-shell structure. As the pH decreased from 7.4 to 5.5, drug release increased from 14 to 21%. The in vitro targeting ability, immune evasion ability, and cytotoxicity of MM@DOX NPs were verified in HN6 and SCC15 cell lines. Compared to free DOX, flow cytometry and fluorescence images demonstrated higher uptake of MM@DOX NPs by tumor cells and lower uptake by macrophages. Cell toxicity and live/dead staining experiments showed that MM@DOX NPs exhibited stronger in vitro antitumor effects than free DOX. The targeting and therapeutic effects were further confirmed in vivo. Based on in vivo biodistribution of the nanoparticles, the accumulation of MM@DOX NPs at the tumor site was increased. The pharmacokinetic results demonstrated a longer half-life of 9.26 h for MM@DOX NPs compared to 1.94 h for free DOX. Moreover, MM@DOX NPs exhibited stronger tumor suppression effects in HN6 tumor-bearing mice and good biocompatibility.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, MM@DOX NPs is a safe and efficient therapeutic platform for OSCC.

FASN inhibition sensitizes metastatic OSCC cells to cisplatin and paclitaxel by downregulating cyclin B1

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the potential effect of fatty acid synthase (FASN) inhibitor orlistat to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs widely used to treat oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC), such as 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and paclitaxel.

METHODS

The OSCC SCC-9 LN-1 metastatic cell line, which expresses high levels of FASN, was used for drug combination experiments. Cell viability was analyzed by crystal violet staining and automatic cell counting. Apoptosis and cell cycle were analyzed by flow cytometry with Annexin-V/7-AAD and propidium iodide staining, respectively. Cyclin B1, Cdc25C, Cdk1, FASN, and ERBB2 levels were assessed by Western blotting. Finally, cell scratch and transwell assays were performed to assess cell migration and invasion.

RESULTS

Inhibition of FASN with orlistat sensitized SCC-9 LN-1 cells to the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel and cisplatin, but not 5-fluorouracil, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in cyclin B1. The suppression of proliferation, migration, and invasion of SCC-9 LN-1 cells induced by orlistat plus cisplatin or paclitaxel was not superior to the effects of chemotherapy drugs alone.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that orlistat enhances the chemosensitivity of SCC-9 LN-1 cells to cisplatin and paclitaxel by downregulating cyclin B1.

A Systematic Review of Oral Biopsies, Sample Types, and Detection Techniques Applied in Relation to Oral Cancer Detection

Background: Early identification of the stage of oral cancer development can lead to better treatment outcomes and avoid malignant transformation. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview that describes the development of standardized procedures for oral sample collection, characterization, and molecular risk assessment. This can help investigators to choose the appropriate sampling method and downstream analyses for different purposes. Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Using both PubMed and Web of Science databases, four independent authors conducted a literature search between 15 and 21 June 2021. We used key search terms to broaden the search for studies. Non-conforming articles were removed using an EndNote-based and manual approach. Reviewers used a designed form to extract data. Results: This review included a total of 3574 records, after eliminating duplicate articles and excluding papers that did not meet the inclusion criteria. Finally, 202 articles were included in this review. We summarized the sampling methods, biopsy samples, and downstream analysis. The biopsy techniques were classified into tissue and liquid biopsy. The common sequential analysis of tissue biopsy includes histopathological examination such as H&E or IHC to identify various pathogenic features. Meanwhile, liquid samples such as saliva, blood, and urine are analyzed for the purpose of screening to detect mutations in cancer. Commonly used technologies are PCR, RT-PCR, high-throughput sequencing, and metabolomic analysis. Conclusions: Currently, tissue biopsies provide increased diagnostic value compared to liquid biopsy. However, the minimal invasiveness and convenience of liquid biopsy make it a suitable method for mass screening and eventual clinical adoption. The analysis of samples includes histological and molecular analysis. Metabolite analysis is rising but remains scarce.

Current Perspectives on Taxanes: Focus on Their Bioactivity, Delivery and Combination Therapy

Taxanes, mainly paclitaxel and docetaxel, the microtubule stabilizers, have been well known for being the first-line therapy for breast cancer for more than the last thirty years. Moreover, they have been also used for the treatment of ovarian, hormone-refractory prostate, head and neck, and non-small cell lung carcinomas. Even though paclitaxel and docetaxel significantly enhance the overall survival rate of cancer patients, there are some limitations of their use, such as very poor water solubility and the occurrence of severe side effects. However, this is what pushes the research on these microtubule-stabilizing agents further and yields novel taxane derivatives with significantly improved properties. Therefore, this review article brings recent advances reported in taxane research mainly in the last two years. We focused especially on recent methods of taxane isolation, their mechanism of action, development of their novel derivatives, formulations, and improved tumor-targeted drug delivery. Since cancer cell chemoresistance can be an unsurpassable hurdle in taxane administration, a significant part of this review article has been also devoted to combination therapy of taxanes in cancer treatment. Last but not least, we summarize ongoing clinical trials on these compounds and bring a perspective of advancements in this field.

Therapeutic applications of herbal/synthetic/bio-drug in oral cancer: An update

Oral cancer, as one of the most prevalent and invasive cancers that invade local tissue, can cause metastasis, and have high mortality. In 2018, around 355,000 worldwide oral cancers occurred and resulted in 177,000 deaths. Estimates for the year 2020 include about 53,260 new cases added to previous year's cases, and the estimated death toll from this cancer in 2020 is about 10,750 deaths more than previous years. Despite recent advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment, unfortunately, 50% of people with cancer cannot be cured. Of course, it should be remembered that the type of treatment used greatly influences patient recovery. There are not many choices when it comes to treating oral cancer. Research efforts focusing on the discovery and evolution of innovative therapeutic approaches for oral cancer are essential. Such traditional methods of treating this type of cancer like surgery and chemotherapy, have evolved dramatically during the past thirty to forty years, but they continue to cause panic among patients due to their side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to study and use drugs that are less risky for the patient as well as to provide solutions to reduce chemotherapy-induced adverse events that prevent many therapeutic risks. As mentioned above, this study examines low-risk therapies such as herbal remedies, biological drugs, and synthetic drugs in the hope that they will be useful to physicians, researchers, and scientists around the world.