Single agent chemotherapy for head and neck cancers. The murine subrenal capsule assay

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Preclinical Cancer Research
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Head and neck cancers present significant therapeutic challenges, necessitating effective treatment strategies.
• Accurate prediction of chemotherapeutic response is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes.
• Novel preclinical models are required to evaluate drug efficacy against diverse head and neck cancer subtypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of the murine subrenal capsule assay for assessing chemotherapeutic sensitivities in various head and neck cancers.
• To determine the oncolytic activity of chemotherapy against xenografted human head and neck tumors in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Tumor fragments from primary, metastatic, or recurrent head and neck cancers were implanted under the renal capsule of hybrid mice.
• Xenografts included squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), mucoepidermoid carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, and melanomas.
• Tumor-bearing mice received daily chemotherapy for five days, with sensitivity assessed by comparing implant size.

Main Results:

• The assay successfully generated xenografts from 24 human head and neck tumors.
• Significant oncolytic activity was observed in 16 of 24 tumors tested (67%).
• Specifically, 14 out of 20 SCCs (70%) and both melanomas demonstrated sensitivity to chemotherapy.

Conclusions:

• The murine subrenal capsule assay is a viable model for evaluating chemotherapy efficacy against head and neck cancers.
• The assay demonstrated promising results, identifying significant oncolytic activity in a majority of tested tumors.
• Further correlation with clinical studies is essential to validate the predictive value of this in vivo assay for patient treatment.