Elucidating the molecular pathways active in chemoresistant head and neck cancer stem cells and their role in resistance

ABSTRACT: Recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a poor prognosis with less than 1-year median survival. Platinum-based chemotherapy (cisplatin or carboplatin) remains the first-line treatment for HNSCC. The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis postulates that tumors are maintained by a self-renewing CSC population that is also capable of differentiating into non-self renewing cell populations that constitute the bulk of the tumor. A small population of CSCs exists within HNSCC that are relatively resistant to chemotherapy and clinically predicted to mediate tumor recurrence. These CSCs are identified by high cell-surface expression of CD44 and high intracellular activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and termed ALDHhighCD44high. We investigated the molecular path

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Sean McDermott 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-72384 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress