GUANGZHOU, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have classified the nasopharyngeal carcinoma into three proteomic subtypes for the first time, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Cancer.
The breakthrough provides a scientific basis for delivering individualized precision treatment centered on proteomics for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a common head and neck malignancy with a high incidence in China. Its early symptoms are often insidious, and about 70 percent of patients are diagnosed at the intermediate or advanced stage. Combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the standard treatment options for the disease.
Before concurrent chemoradiotherapy, induction chemotherapy can effectively improve the survival rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. However, 20 to 30 percent of patients still show poor response to the treatment.
The scientists from the International Academy of Phronesis Medicine (Guangdong) and the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center analyzed tumor samples from 240 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and used proteomic techniques to measure protein activity across the tumors.
For the first time, they categorized the nasopharyngeal carcinoma into three proteomic subtypes -- S1, S2 and S3 -- exhibiting distinct prognostic characteristics and treatment response patterns.
Based on these, the scientists can develop the optimal therapeutic strategy for each subtype.
In addition, IgA+ plasma cells can act as a key biomarker for predicting treatment efficacy in the S3 subtype, providing an important scientific basis for both explaining the mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and for developing new therapeutic strategies.
This study is expected to break the traditional "one-size-fits-all" treatment model for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and establish a stratified diagnosis and treatment system ranging from molecular subtyping and efficacy prediction to precision therapy. ■
