Long-term survival in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is poor, particularly in China, and the biomarker cyclin D1 (CCND1) is linked with resistance to chemotherapy treatment and worse outcomes. A team of Chinese researchers is working on a CCND1-based assay that could be used to predict which patients would benefit the most from neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy before surgery and radiation therapy.
The study looked at 224 patients with HNSCC. The ‘neoadjuvant' group was treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by surgery and radiotherapy; the remaining patients received only surgery and radiotherapy. Patients with low CCND1 levels were more likely to respond to the neoadjuvant treatment than those with high levels of expression.
The researchers believe that a CCND1-based assay could be used to predict response and develop personalized treatment plans for patients with HNSCC.
- read the paper in PLoS