Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
Isolation and Characterization of a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subpopulation Having Stem Cell Characteristics
Published on: May 11, 2016
Circulating tumour DNA in head and neck squamous-cell carcinomas: A literature review
Léo Ventelou1, Angeline Ginzac2, Marie-Céleste Ferreira3
1Medical Oncology Department, Jean PERRIN Center, 63011 Clermont‑Ferrand, France.
Background:
In 60 % of cases, head and neck cancers (HNCs) are diagnosed at an advanced stage and therefore have a poor prognosis with survival rates of only 49 months. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a minimally invasive biomarker able to improve early detection, assess minimal residual disease, monitor systemic treatment response and identify therapeutic targets. This literature review aims to critically synthesise evidence from the past decade on the clinical use of ctDNA in both HPV-related and HPV-unrelated HNCs.
Patients And Methods:
A literature review was performed using PubMed and Cochrane Library on March 11th 2024, updated on November 21st, 2025, using the keywords: "circulating tumour DNA", "head and neck cancer", "ctHPV-DNA associated with HNSCC", "liquid biopsy and HNSCC".
Results:
After evaluation of 363 articles identified, 92 were included. ctDNA has been investigated for screening, diagnosis, prognostic stratification, treatment-response assessment, relapse detection and identification of therapeutic targets. However, performance varies considerably across studies due to methodological and biological heterogeneity.
Conclusion:
ctDNA shows strong potential for response assessment and post-treatment monitoring, particularly in HPV-related disease. Nevertheless, its integration into clinical practice requires methodological standardisation and validation in larger prospective studies.
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