In vitro models as tools for screening treatment options of head and neck cancer

Barbara Seliger; Ahmed Al-Samadi; Bo Yang; Tuula Salo; Claudia Wickenhauser

doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.971726

In vitro models as tools for screening treatment options of head and neck cancer

Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Sep 7:9:971726. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.971726. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Barbara Seliger^{1

2}, Ahmed Al-Samadi^{3

4}, Bo Yang¹, Tuula Salo^{3

4

5

6}, Claudia Wickenhauser⁷

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
² Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany.
³ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Clinicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
⁴ Translational Immunology Research Program, Research Program Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
⁵ Cancer Research and Translational Medicine Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
⁶ Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
⁷ Institute of Pathology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.

Abstract

Various in vitro models using primary and established 2- and 3-dimensional cultures, multicellular tumor spheroids, standardized tumor slice cultures, tumor organoids, and microfluidic systems obtained from tumor lesions/biopsies of head and neck cancer (HNC) have been employed for exploring and monitoring treatment options. All of these in vitro models are to a different degree able to capture the diversity of tumors, recapitulate the disease genetically, histologically, and functionally and retain their tumorigenic potential upon xenotransplantation. The models were used for the characterization of the malignant features of the tumors and for in vitro screens of drugs approved for the treatment of HNC, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as recently developed targeted therapies and immunotherapies, or for novel treatments not yet licensed for these tumor entities. The implementation of the best suitable model will enlarge our knowledge of the oncogenic properties of HNC, expand the drug repertoire and help to develop individually tailored treatment strategies resulting in the translation of these findings into the clinic. This review summarizes the different approaches using preclinical in vitro systems with their advantages and disadvantages and their implementation as preclinical platforms to predict disease course, evaluate biomarkers and test therapy efficacy.

Keywords: 3D culture; HNSCC; in vitro model; microfluidic chips; organoid; therapy.

Publication types

Review