Head and Neck Cancer Stem Cells: The Effect of HPV—An In Vitro and Mouse Study

Abstract

Human papillomavirus status does not correlate with the proportion of CSCs present in HNSCC. The HPV-positive cells and those transduced with HPV E6/E7 have a greater clonogenicity than HPV-negative cells. The HNSCC CSCs are more resistant to cisplatin than non-CSCs. This suggests that common chemotherapeutic agents may shrink tumor bulk by eliminating non-CSCs, whereas CSCs have mechanisms that facilitate evasion of cell death. Human papillomavirus status does not affect CSC response to cisplatin therapy, suggesting that other factors explain the better outcomes for patients with HPV-positive cancer.