Head and Neck TumorsHead and Neck TumorsОпухоли головы и шеи2222-14682411-4634Publishing House ABV Press111610.17650/2222-1468-2026-16-2-57-66ORIGINAL REPORTОРИГИНАЛЬНОЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕReview ArticleBiomarkers of response to chemoradiotherapy in head and neck tumorsБиомаркеры ответа на химиолучевую терапию при опухолях головы и шеиhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9022-7764KravtsovaE. A.КравцоваЕ. А.
Russian Federation

Cancer Research Institute

Научно-исследовательский институт онкологии

imk1805@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8815-2786IbragimovaMarina K.ИбрагимоваМарина Константиновна
Russian Federation

Cancer Research Institute

Научно-исследовательский институт онкологии

imk1805@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-3832-6440ShagabudinovaA. K.ШагабудиноваА. К.
Russian Federation

Cancer Research Institute

Научно-исследовательский институт онкологии

imk1805@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7419-4512TsyganovM. M.ЦыгановМ. М.
Russian Federation

Cancer Research Institute

Научно-исследовательский институт онкологии

imk1805@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7540-8532FedorovaI. K.ФедороваИ. К.
Russian Federation

Cancer Research Institute

Научно-исследовательский институт онкологии

imk1805@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7234-4708CheremisinaO. V.ЧеремисинаО. В.
Russian Federation

Cancer Research Institute

Научно-исследовательский институт онкологии

imk1805@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0714-8927LitviakovN. V.ЛитвяковН. В.
Russian Federation

Cancer Research Institute

Научно-исследовательский институт онкологии

imk1805@yandex.ruTomsk National Research Medical Center of the Russian Academy of SciencesФГБНУ «Томский национальный исследовательский медицинский центр Российской академии наук»National Research Tomsk State UniversityФГАОУ ВО «Национальный исследовательский Томский государственный университет»Siberian State Medical University, Ministry of Health of the RussiaФГБОУ ВО «Сибирский государственный медицинский университет» Минздрава России2309202616257662511202524042026Copyright ©; 2026, ABV-PressCopyright ©; 2026, АБВ-пресс2026ABV-PressАБВ-прессhttps://ogsh.abvpress.ru/jour/about/editorialPolicieshttps://ogsh.abvpress.ru/jour/article/view/1116

In modern oncology practice, biomarkers are increasingly used to select patients for individualized treatment based on tumor genetic characteristics for many types of cancer. However, for head and neck tumors, there are no personalized treatments available outside the context of clinical trials. Several studies indicate that head and neck tumors have specific properties that influence their response to chemotherapy. However, there is very little information on the results of the search for markers of response to radiation or chemoradiation therapy of patients with tumors of the head and neck.

This review presents a number of biomarkers predicting response to radiation / chemoradiation therapy for head and neck tumors.

В современной онкологической практике при многих видах рака при отборе пациентов для индивидуализированного лечения на основе генетических особенностей опухоли все чаще применяются биомаркеры. Однако при опухолях головы и шеи не существует персонализированных методов терапии, доступных вне контекста клинических исследований. Результаты ряда работ свидетельствуют о наличии у новообразований этой локализации специфических свойств, влияющих на их реакцию на химиотерапевтические препараты. При этом крайне мало информации о результатах поиска маркеров ответа на лучевую или химиолучевую терапию пациентов с опухолями головы и шеи.

В обзоре представлены некоторые биомаркеры, прогнозирующие ответ на лучевую / химиолучевую терапию при опухолях головы и шеи.

head and neck tumortreatment response biomarkerradiation / chemoradiation therapyprognosisопухоль головы и шеибиомаркер ответа на лечениелучевая терапияхимиолучевая терапияпрогнозРоссийский научный фондRussian Science Foundation22-15-00169-ПThe study was performed with the support of the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 22-15-00169-П).Исследование проведено при поддержке Российского научного фонда (грант № 22-15-00169-П).Van der Heijden M., Essers P.B.M., de Jong M.C. et al. Biological determinants of chemo-radiotherapy response in HPV-negative head and neck cancer: a multicentric external validation. Front Oncol 2020;10(9):1470. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.01470Iglesias Docampo L.C., Arrazubi Arrula V., Baste Rotllan N. et al. SEOM clinical guidelines for the treatment of head and neck cancer (2017). Clin Transl Oncol 2018;20(1):75–83. DOI: 10.1007/s12094-017-1776-1Fasano M., D’Onofrio I., Belfiore M.P. et al. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in elderly patients: role of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2022;14(3):472. DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030472Dolezel M., Slavik M., Blazek T. et al. FMISO-based adaptive radiotherapy in head and neck cancer. J Pers Med 2022;12(8):1245. DOI: 10.3390/jpm12081245Bos T., Ratti J.A., Harada H. Targeting stress-response pathways and therapeutic resistance in head and neck cancer. Front Oral Health 2021;2:676643. DOI: 10.3389/froh.2021.676643Koyfman Shlomo A., Ismaila N., Crook D. et al. Management of the neck in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx: ASCO clinical practice guideline. J Clin Oncol 2019;37(20):1753–74. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.18.01921Colevas A.D., Yom S.S., Pfister D.G. et al. NCCN guidelines insights: head and neck cancers, version 1.2018. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2018;16(5):479–90. DOI: 10.6004/jnccn.2018.0026Adelstein D., Gillison M.L., Pfister D.G. et al. NCCN guidelines insights: head and neck cancers, version 2.2017. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2017;15(6):761–70. DOI: 10.6004/jnccn.2017.0101Fabbrizi M.R., Parsons J.L. Radiotherapy and the cellular DNA damage response: current and future perspectives on head and neck cancer treatment. Cancer Drug Resist 2020;3(4):775–90. DOI: 10.20517/cdr.2020.49.Carles M., Fechter T., Grosu A.L. et al. 18F-FMISO-PET hypoxia monitoring for head-and-neck cancer patients: radiomics analyses predict the outcome of chemo-radiotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2021;13(14):3449. DOI: 10.3390/cancers13143449Alfouzan A.F. Radiation therapy in head and neck cancer. Saudi Med J 2021;42(3):247–54. DOI: 10.15537/smj.2021.42.3.20210660Bhattacharyya T., Koto M., Windisch P. et al. Emerging role of carbon ion radiotherapy in reirradiation of recurrent head and neck cancers: what have we achieved so far? Front Oncol 2022;12:888446. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.888446Gao J., Hu J., Guan X. et al. Salvage carbon-ion radiation therapy for locoregionally recurrent head and neck malignancies. Sci Rep 2019;9(1):4259. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39241-ySeidensaal K., Harrabi S.B., Uhl M. et al. Re-irradiation with protons or heavy ions with focus on head and neck, skull base and brain malignancies. Br J Radiol 2020;93(1107):20190516. DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20190516Qian J.M., Schoenfeld J.D. Radiotherapy and immunotherapy for head and neck cancer: current evidence and challenges. Front Oncol 2021;10:608772. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.608772Buciuman N., Marcu L.G. Dosimetric justification for the use of volumetric modulated arc therapy in head and neck cancer – a systematic review of the literature. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2021;6(5):999–1007. DOI: 10.1002/lio2.642Cho B. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy: a review with a physics perspective. Radiat Oncol J 2018;36(1):1–10. DOI: 10.3857/roj.2018.00122Sachan A., Gupta S., Singh N. Correlation of 3DCRT and open field treatment techniques in advanced head and neck cancer patients treated by chemoradiation. J Biomed Phys Eng 2022;12(1):83–90. DOI: 10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.2007-1132Herrassi M.Y., Bentayeb F., Malisan M.R. Comparative study of four advanced 3d-conformal radiation therapy treatment planning techniques for head and neck cancer. J Med Phys 2013;38(2):98–105. DOI: 10.4103/0971-6203.111331Ghosh G., Gupta G., Malviya A. et al. Comparison three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy versus intensity modulated radiation therapy in local control of head and neck cancer. J Cancer Res Ther 2018;14(6):1412–7. DOI: 10.4103/jcrt.JCRT_725_17Hawkins P.G., Kadam A.S., Jackson W.C. et al. Organ-sparing in radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer: Improving quality of life. Semin Radiat Oncol 2018;28(1):46–52. DOI: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2017.08.002DiBartolo D., Carpenter T., Santoro J.P. et al. Novel VMAT planning technique improves dosimetry for head and neck cancer patients undergoing definitive chemoradiotherapy. Acta Oncol 2023;62(2):189–93. DOI: 10.1080/0284186X.2023.2177973Biston M.C., Costea M., Gassa F. et al. Evaluation of fully automated a priori MCO treatment planning in VMAT for head-and-neck cancer. Phys Med 2021;87:31–8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2021.05.037Rallis K.S., Yau T.H.L., Sideris M. Chemoradiotherapy in cancer treatment: Rationale and clinical applications. Anticancer Res 2021;41(1):1–7. DOI: 10.21873/anticanres.14746Connor S., Anjari M., Burd C. et al. The impact of human papilloma virus status on the prediction of head and neck cancer chemoradiotherapy outcomes using the pre-treatment apparent diffusion coefficient. Br J Radiol 2022;95(1130):20210333. DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20210333Belgioia L., Becherini C., Bacigalupo A. et al. Chemo-immunotherapy and radiation in locally advanced head and neck cancer: where do we stand? Oral Oncol 2022;127:105773. DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.105773Gebre-Medhin M., Brun E., Engström P. et al. ARTSCAN III: a randomized phase III study comparing chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin versus cetuximab in patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer. J Clin Oncol 2021;39(1):38–47. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.20.02072Xing D.T., Khor R., Gan H. et al. Recent research on combination of radiotherapy with targeted therapy or immunotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a review for radiation oncologists. Cancers (Basel) 2021;13(22):5716. DOI: 10.3390/cancers13225716Chow L.Q.M. Head and neck cancer. N Engl J Med 2020;382(1):60–72. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra1715715Ow T.J., Fulcher C.D., Thomas C. et al. Optimal targeting of BCL-family proteins in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma requires inhibition of both BCL-xL and MCL-1. Oncotarget 2019;10(4):494–510. DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26563Chen A.M., Daly M.E., Cui J. et al. Clinical outcomes among patients with head and neck cancer treated by intensity-modulated radiotherapy with and without adaptive replanning. Head Neck 2014;36(11):1541–6. DOI: 10.1002/hed.23477Mayer A., Wenzel W., Wollschläger D. et al. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in elderly patients with head and neck cancer: a monoinstitutional, two-to-one pair-matching analysis. Strahlenther Onkol 2022;198(2):159–70. DOI: 10.1007/s00066-021-01890-2Iqbal M.S., Dua D., Kelly C. et al. Managing older patients with head and neck cancer: the non-surgical curative approach. J Geriatr Oncol 2018;9(4):411–7. DOI: 10.1016/j.jgo.2018.03.016Mesia R., Iglesias L., Lambea J. et al. SEOM clinical guidelines for the treatment of head and neck cancer (2020). Clin Transl Oncol 2021;23(5):913–21. DOI: 10.1007/s12094-020-02533-1Bossi P., Resteghini C., Paielli N. et al. Prognostic and predictive value of EGFR in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oncotarget 2016;7(45):74362–79. DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11413Jedlinski A., Ansell A., Johansson A.C. et al. EGFR status and EGFR ligand expression influence the treatment response of head and neck cancer cell lines //Journal of oral pathology & medicine. J Oral Pathol Med 2013;42(1):26–36. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.2012.01177.xMartens R.M., Noij D.P., Ali M. et al. Functional imaging early during (chemo) radiotherapy for response prediction in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; a systematic review. Oral Oncol 2019;88:75–83. DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2018.11.005Nan Z., Dou Y., Chen A. et al. Identification and validation of a prognostic signature of autophagy, apoptosis and pyroptosis-related genes for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: to imply therapeutic choices of HPV negative patients. Front Immunol 2023;13:1100417. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1100417Huang S.H., O’Sullivan B. Overview of the 8th edition TNM classification for head and neck cancer. Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2017;18(7):40. DOI: 10.1007/s11864-017-0484-yLeón X., García J., Farré N. et al. Predictive capacity of IL-8 expression in head and neck squamous carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp (Engl Ed) 2021;72(6):337–43. DOI: 10.1016/j.otoeng.2020.05.006Nisar S., Yousuf P., Masoodi T. et al. Chemokine-cytokine networks in the head and neck tumor microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2021;22(9):4584. DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094584De-Colle C., Menegakis A., Mönnich D. et al. SDF-1/CXCR4 expression is an independent negative prognostic biomarker in patients with head and neck cancer after primary radiochemotherapy. Radiother Oncol 2018;126(1):125–31. DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2017.10.008Bauer J.A., Kumar B., Cordell K.G. et al. Targeting apoptosis to overcome cisplatin resistance: a translational study in head and neck cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2007;69(2 Suppl): S106–8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.05.080Deepika R., Dharman S., Jayaraman S. Evaluation of Bcl-2, Mcl-1, and Bax as potential biomarkers in chemo radiotherapy induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients: a pilot study. J Ind Acad Oral Med Radiol 2024;36(3):254–8. DOI: 10.4103/jiaomr.jiaomr_119_24Chen A.M., Felix C., Wang P.C. et al. Reduced-dose radiotherapy for human papillomavirus-associated squamous-cell carcinoma of the oropharynx: a single-arm, phase 2 study. Lancet Oncol 2017;18(6):803–11. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30246-2Beaty B.T., Moon D.H., Shen C.J. et al. PIK3CA mutation in HPV-associated OPSCC patients receiving deintensified chemoradiation. J Natl Cancer Inst 2020;112(8):855–8. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djz224Brook I. Early side effects of radiation treatment for head and neck cancer. Cancer Radiother 2021;25(5):507–13. DOI: 10.1016/j.canrad.2021.02.001Cooper J.S., Pajak T.F., Forastiere A.A. et al. Postoperative concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for high-risk squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. N Engl J Med 2004;350(19):1937–44. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa032646Langendijk J.A., Doornaert P., Verdonck-de Leeuw I.M. et al. Impact of late treatment-related toxicity on quality of life among patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy. J Clin Oncol 2008;26(22):3770–6. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2007.14.6647