Hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors in head and neck cancers: Recent advances and therapeutic challenges.

Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are key cytokines responsible for the production, maturation, and mobilization of the granulocytic and macrophage lineages from the bone marrow, which have been gaining attention for playing pro- and/or anti-tumorigenic roles in cancer. Head and neck cancers (HNCs) represent a group of heterogeneous neoplasms with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Treatment for HNCs is still limited even with the advancements in cancer immunotherapy. Novel treatments for patients with recurrent and metastatic HNCs are urgently needed. This article provides an in-depth review of the role of hematopoietic cytokines such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), and interleukin-3 (IL-3; also known as multi-CSF) in the HNCs tumor microenvironment. We have reviewed current results from clinical trials using CSFs as adjuvant therapy to treat HNCs patients, and also clinical findings reported to date on the therapeutic application of CSFs toxicities arising from chemoradiotherapy.

Immunopathological insights into villitis of unknown etiology on the basis of transplant immunology.

Villitis of unknown etiology (VUE) is an inflammatory disease characterized by the infiltration of maternal CD8 +T cells into the placental villi. Although the pathogenesis of VUE is still debated, dysregulation of the immune system appears to be an important factor in the development of the disease. Interaction of maternal T cells with the fetal antigens seems to be the trigger for the VUE onset. In this context, graft vs host disease (GVHD) and allographic rejection seem to share similarities in the VUE immunopathological mechanism, especially those related to immunoregulation. In this review, we compared the immunological characteristics of VUE with allograft rejection, and GVHD favoring a better knowledge of VUE pathogenesis that may contribute to VUE therapeutics strategies in the future.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Exploring frontiers of combinatorial approaches with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint therapy.

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) are the most common malignant tumors that arise in the head and neck. Despite advances in the management of affected patients, the mortality burden of these tumors is increasing every year. The discovery of a vast genetic landscape has revealed new opportunities for therapeutic intervention of head and neck SCC (HNSCC). Molecular alterations of tyrosine kinases are involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and may help keep cancer cells from growing. Currently, many drugs inhibit this enzyme family and are being studied by the pharmaceutical industry opening the room to expand the use and efficacy of this therapeutic modality alone or using combinatorial approaches including checkpoint inhibitors for treatment. In this paper, we explored the role of tyrosine kinases inhibitors of HNSCC, and clinical trials related to these molecules, expecting to provide references for HNSCC therapy.

Tumor microenvironment in salivary gland carcinomas: An orchestrated state of chaos.

Salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are rare tumors of heterogeneous morphology and many histological subtypes. Like other tumors, the SGC mass consists of a varied population of malignant cells and a diverse array of immune cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, cytokines, chemokines, extracellular matrix proteins, and metalloproteinases, collectively known as the tumor microenvironment (TME). This chaotic network serves as an important physical mediator of cancer cell growth. In this review, we provided current insights into the TME of some of the most common SGC. Here, we highlighted the histological heterogeneity of these tumors, delineated the nature/intensity of inflammatory infiltrates, and the mechanisms involved in immunological escaping related to each SGC subtype.

Salivary gland cancer in the setting of tumor microenvironment: Translational routes for therapy.

Salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) are aggressive cancers that arise in minor and major salivary glands. Given the complexity and the multiple subtypes of this class of tumors, diagnosis and, treatment may be challenging for clinicians. Recently the tumor microenvironment, composed mainly of immune and stromal cells are been a target for treatment. Accumulating evidence indicates that cancer immunotherapies have made a significant impact on oncologic patients, however immunotherapeutic attempts in SGC have been shown limited improvement. Advances in the models that best translate aggressive SGC are needed for the development of clinical protocols grouping immunotherapies and other classes of drugs that will promote better responses in patients with advanced SGC stages. In this review, we introduced different experimental models for SGC with a focus on tumor microenvironment highlighting potential therapy applications for each model.