Head and neck cancer patient-derived tumouroid cultures: opportunities and challenges
Cet article analyse les avantages et les inconvénients des différents modes de culture cellulaire (cultures bidimensionnelles, sphéroïdes et tumoroïdes), identifie les applications possibles des tumoroïdes pour les cancers de la tête et du cou et examine les protocoles permettant de développer ces tumoroïdes
Head and neck cancers (HNC) are the seventh most prevalent cancer type globally. Despite their common categorisation, HNCs are a heterogeneous group of malignancies arising in various anatomical sites within the head and neck region. These cancers exhibit different clinical and biological manifestations, and this heterogeneity also contributes to the high rates of treatment failure and mortality. To evaluate patients who will respond to a particular treatment, there is a need to develop in vitro model systems that replicate in vivo tumour status. Among the methods developed, patient-derived cancer organoids, also known as tumouroids, recapitulate in vivo tumour characteristics including tumour architecture. Tumouroids have been used for general disease modelling and genetic instability studies in pan-cancer research. However, a limited number of studies have thus far been conducted using tumouroid-based drug screening. Studies have concluded that tumouroids can play an essential role in bringing precision medicine for highly heterogenous cancer types such as HNC.
British Journal of Cancer , article en libre accès, 2023