Radioresistance or/and radiosensitivity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: biological angle

ObjectiveThis narrative review aimed to compile and summarize clinically relevant literature in radiation therapy and to discuss the potential in radioresistant and radiosensitive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Methods and MaterialsGoogle Scholar, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library were retrieved using combined key words such as "radiotherapy" and "head and neck cancer." Search strings additionally queried were "radioresistant," "radiosensitive," "head and neck region," "squamous cell carcinoma," in combination with Boolean operators 'AND' and 'OR.' Subsequently, the resulting publications were included for review of the full text.ResultsRadiotherapeutic responses currently in clinical observation referred to HNSCC scoping were selected into this review. The compiled mechanisms were then detailed concerning on the clinical significance, biological characteristics, and molecular function.ConclusionsBrachytherapy or/and external-beam radiotherapy are crucial for treating HNSCC especially the early stage patients, but in some patients with locally advanced tumors, their outcome with radiation therapy is poor due to obvious radioresistance. The curative effects mainly depend on the response to radiation therapy so an updated review is needed to optimize further applications in HNSCC radiotherapy.