Systematic review on the current knowledge and use of single-cell RNA sequencing in head and neck cancer.

Abstract

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a novel method enabling genetic characterization of tumor tissue at a single-cell level. This study systematically reviewed the literature on studies using scRNA-seq to characterize head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). Seven studies were included, of which two studies performed scRNA-seq on 20 patients in total, and five studies used scRNA-seq data in a subsequent clinical study. The former mentioned two studies found intra-tumoral genetic heterogeneity among malignant cells but genetic uniformity among non-malignant cells. The five latter studies used scRNA-seq data in various ways. Three studies identified biomarkers related to predicting whether a patient would benefit from immunotherapeutic treatment. One study characterized genes related to the perineural invasion. One study identified genes to be used in diagnostics. Further studies performing scRNA-seq on HNSCC are required to continue the ongoing development and use of scRNA-seq.

• Authors: Helene Stampe, Kathrine Kronberg Jakobsen, Simone Kloch Bendtsen, Christian Grønhøj, Christian von Buchwald
• Journal: APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS) Vol. 129 Issue 11 Pg. 619-625 (Nov 2021) ISSN: 1600-0463 [Electronic] Denmark
• PMID: 34561896 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Systematic Review)
• Copyright: © 2021 Scandinavian Societies for Medical Microbiology and Pathology.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers, Tumor

Topics

• Biomarkers, Tumor (genetics)
• Gene Expression Profiling
• Genetic Heterogeneity
• Head and Neck Neoplasms (genetics, pathology)
• Humans
• Sequence Analysis, RNA
• Single-Cell Analysis
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck (genetics, pathology)
• Tumor Microenvironment (genetics)