Kurzfassung

Head and neck cancer (HNSCC) is one of the sixth-most common cancer incidents globally with 890,000 new cases annually. Therapy of HNSCC is multimodal with combinations of surgical removal, radiation and chemotherapy. The development of resistances to chemo-radiation still represents a major hurdle in treatment of HNSCC, and leads to high patient morbidity. First-line chemotherapy of HNSCCs is predominantly platinum-based with cisplatin being the primary option. Resistance mechanisms towards...Head and neck cancer (HNSCC) is one of the sixth-most common cancer incidents globally with 890,000 new cases annually. Therapy of HNSCC is multimodal with combinations of surgical removal, radiation and chemotherapy. The development of resistances to chemo-radiation still represents a major hurdle in treatment of HNSCC, and leads to high patient morbidity. First-line chemotherapy of HNSCCs is predominantly platinum-based with cisplatin being the primary option. Resistance mechanisms towards (platinum-based) chemotherapeutics are complex and despite intense research still poorly understood. To improve our knowledge of clinically relevant cancer cell resistances, we will study the mechanistic relevance of a mostly neglected component, extracellular vesicles (EVs) which could be minimal-invasively isolated out of patient blood and/or saliva. Building upon recently established 2D/3D HNSCC cisplatin resistance cell models and methods for EV isolation, we will address the scientifically and clinically relevant research questions about the role and (clinicaI) relevance of EVs in cisplatin-resistance.
Collectively, the results of our project will not only improve our mechanistic knowledge of the multilevel mechanisms of cisplatin resistances but may also allow in long-term to perform liquid biopsy profiling in the clinical routine and identify novel prognostic biomarkers.» weiterlesen» einklappen