A quest for initiating cells of head and neck cancer and their treatment.
The biology of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and other cancers have been related to cancer stem-like cells (CSC). Specific markers, which vary considerably depending on tumor type or tissue of origin, characterize CSC. CSC are cancer initiating, sustaining and mostly quiescent. Compared to bulk tumors, CSC are less sensitive to chemo- and radiotherapy and may have low immunogenicity. Therapeutic targeting of CSC may improve clinical outcome. HNSCC has two main etiologies: human papillomavirus, a virus infecting epithelial stem cells, and tobacco and alcohol abuse. Here, current knowledge of HNSCC-CSC biology is reviewed and parallels to CSC of other origin are drawn where n…
Particle-Mediated Gene Transfer into Dendritic Cells: A Novel Strategy for the Induction of Immune Responses against Tumor Antigens
The expression of a foreign protein in the skin following direct in vivo gene transfer results in the induction of potent cellular and humoral immune responses. This strategy, now known as genetic or DNA immunization, was first described by Johnston et al. in 1992. They reported that bombardment of murine skin with an expression plasmid encoding human growth hormone coated onto microscopic gold particles using a gene gun resulted not only in the systemic delivery of the molecule, but also in the induction of antigenspecific antibody responses (1). It is now well established that DNA immunization by particle-mediated gene transfer promotes broad-based and long-lasting antigen-specific immune…