Inhibition of platin-induced BCL2 increase overcomes chemoresistance in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck through resensitization to cell death.

ABSTRACT: The clinical outcome of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains poor with high recurrence rates, in part due to resistance to concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy. The anti-apoptotic BCL2 protein is involved in apoptosis resistance and tumor cell invasion/migration. Here, we test whether BCL2 overexpression predicts poor therapeutic response of HNSCC to cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy and the effects of selective BCL2 inhibition on cisplatin-induced cell changes in vitro. BCL2 immunostatus was correlated with survival after chemoradiotherapy in a uniformly treated HNSCC cohort. The combination therapy of ABT-199, a BCL2 inhibitor, and cisplatin was evaluated in vitro using corresponding patient-derived cell lines. Colony formation and the mode of cell death were analyzed

SUBMITTER: Becker AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11880736 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature