Significance of site-specific prognosis of cancer stem cell marker CD44 in head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma

Differences in CD44s expression in HNSCC tumours of different areas within the oral cavity

“…According to some authors, loss of CD44 expression is considered to be an adverse prognostic factor in HNSCC tumours [10][11][12] , while others reported that CD44 is part of the signature of head and neck cancer stem cells 13,14 and that only a CD44 positive subset of tumour cells has the capacity to initiate tumour growth 15 . Kokko et al reported significant association between CD44 overexpression and aggressive behavior in pharyngeal and laryngeal HNSCC, but not in HNSCC of the oral cavity 16 . These contradictory findings complicate the prognostic value of CD44.…”

Autophagy regulates cisplatin‐induced stemness and chemoresistance via the upregulation of CD44, ABCB1 and ADAM17 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…CD44 is also associated with apoptosis resistance, drug resistance and stemness. 7 The ABCB1 subfamily of ABC transporters or the P-glycoproteins responsible for reduced intracellular accumulation of chemotherapeutics is highly expressed in CSCs. But the expressions of ABCB1 in oral cancer are not well studied.…”

Positive expression of NANOG, mutant P53, and CD44 is directly associated with clinicopathological features and poor prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…5h). CD44 is a cell surface glycoprotein that acts as a receptor for hyaluronic acid and as an adhesion molecule [7,28]. This cell surface protein plays a role in tumor cell invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis by interacting with certain matrix metalloproteinases [29].…”