Genomic and Single-Cell Analyses Characterize Patient-Derived Tumor Organoids to Enable Personalized Therapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a significant health burden because of tumor heterogeneity and treatment resistance, emphasizing the need for improved biological understanding and tailored therapies. In this study, we enrolled 31 patients with HNSCC for the establishment of patient-derived tumor organoids (PDO), which faithfully maintained the genomic features and histopathologic traits of the primary tumors. Long-term culture preserved key characteristics, affirming PDOs as robust representative models. PDOs demonstrated predictive capability for cisplatin treatment responses, with ex vivo drug sensitivity correlating with patient outcomes. Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing unveiled molecular subtypes and intratumor transcriptional heterogeneity (ITH) in PDOs, para

SUBMITTER: Um JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12263324 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature