Deep spatial-omics analysis of Head & Neck carcinomas provides alternative therapeutic targets and rationale for treatment failure.

ABSTRACT: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has had limited success (<30%) in treating metastatic recurrent Head and Neck Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas (OPSCCs). We postulate that spatial determinants in the tumor play a critical role in cancer therapy outcomes. Here, we describe the case of a male patient diagnosed with p16⁺ OPSCC and extensive lung metastatic disease who failed Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab/Lenvatinib therapies. Using advanced integrative spatial proteogenomic analysis on the patient's recurrent OPSCC tumors we demonstrate that: (i) unbiased tissue clustering based on spatial transcriptomics (ST) successfully detected tumor cells and enabled the investigation of phenotypic traits such as proliferation or drug-resistance genes in the tumor's leading-edge a

SUBMITTER: Causer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10499928 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature