Role and clinical significance of immunogenic cell death biomarkers in chemoresistance and immunoregulation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Xuanyu Zhang; Chao Shang; Xue Qiao; Yan Guo

doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115509

Role and clinical significance of immunogenic cell death biomarkers in chemoresistance and immunoregulation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Biomed Pharmacother. 2023 Nov:167:115509. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115509. Epub 2023 Sep 16.

Authors

Xuanyu Zhang¹, Chao Shang², Xue Qiao³, Yan Guo⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral Biology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
² Department of Neurobiology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
³ Department of Oral Biology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Shenyang, Liaoning, China; Department of Central Laboratory, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Shenyang, Liaoning, China. Electronic address: xqiao@cmu.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Oral Biology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Shenyang, Liaoning, China; Department of Central Laboratory, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Disease, Shenyang, Liaoning, China. Electronic address: yguo@cmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37722193
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115509

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the whole world, with little improvement in the 5-year survival rate due to the occurrence of chemoresistance. With the increasing interests in tumor immune microenvironment, immunogenic cell death (ICD)-induced chemotherapy has shown promising results in enhancing sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and improving the efficiency of tumor immunotherapy. This review summarizes the role of key ICD biomarkers and their underlying molecular mechanisms in HNSCC chemoresistance. The results showed that ICD initiation could significantly improve the survival and prognosis of patients. ICD and its biomarker could also serve as molecular markers for tumor diagnosis and prognosis. Moreover, key components of DAMPs including CALR, HGMB1, and ATP are involved in the regulation of HNSCC chemo-sensitivity, confirming that the key biomarkers of ICD can also be developed into new targets for regulating HNSCC chemoresistance. This review clearly illustrates the theoretical basis for the hypothesis that ICD biomarkers are therapeutic targets involved in HNSCC progression, chemoresistance, and even immune microenvironment regulation. The compilation and investigation may provide new insights into the molecular therapy of HNSCC.

Keywords: Chemoresistance; HNSCC; Immune response; Immunogenic cell death.

Publication types

Review