Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells
Published on: March 7, 2025
Single-Cell Profiling Reveals Stromal-Immune Remodeling in HNSCC After TPF-Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Dongliang Wei1,2,3,4,5,6, Yilan Sun1,2,3,4,5,6, Jing Han1,2,3,4,5,6
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Objectives:
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is widely used in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. While tumor tissues often show significant regression after treatment, the changes that occur in the tumor microenvironment postregression remain largely unknown.
Materials And Methods:
We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on tumor and paracarcinoma tissue samples from three tongue cancer patients who underwent direct surgery, as well as on tumor, paracarcinoma tissue, and tumor stroma from three tongue cancer patients who received TPF-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Results:
Single-cell RNA sequencing identified distinct cellular features across tissue regions. Regression areas showed relatively greater representation of CFD+ fibroblasts, whereas residual tumor cores retained POSTN+ fibroblasts. Patient-averaged T-cell functional scores did not differ significantly among regions.
Conclusions:
Regression areas and residual tumor cores in tongue squamous cell carcinoma after TPF-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy exhibited distinct cellular and transcriptional features. These exploratory findings suggest regional heterogeneity of the post-treatment tumor microenvironment and require validation in larger, spatially resolved cohorts.
