Conventional X-ray radiotherapy is one of the most common treatments for advanced head and neck cancer, also known as squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Yet in half of all patients, the cancer recurs locally, highlighting the need for innovative strategies to improve tumor control.
Researchers at the Centre Baclesse are therefore looking into a new technique: carbon ion radiotherapy.
Why take an interest in carbon ions?
- Carbon ions, used in hadrontherapy, offer physical and biological advantages: more precise energy deposition (Bragg peak), greater effectiveness on tumor cells, and less toxicity for healthy tissue.
- Their potential efficacy on radio-resistant tumors is driving growing interest in their use in patients who have failed conventional treatments.
The contribution of patient-derived tumor organoids
To test this approach, scientists used "mini-tumors" created in the laboratory from patient cells, known as tumor organoids. These allow individual sensitivity to different types of irradiation to be assessed in the laboratory. The result: carbon ions proved more effective at destroying cancer cells, especially in cases where the cells were resistant to X-rays.
Implications for practice at the Centre Baclesse
The integration of patient-derived tumor organoids into clinical routine could transform the management of head and neck cancers at the Centre Baclesse. By making it possible to test, in the laboratory, the individual sensitivity of each tumor to different radiotherapy modalities, this approach opens the way to truly personalized medicine. Clinicians will be able to tailor their choice of treatment to each patient's specific tumor response, optimizing the chances of success while limiting side effects.
In addition, carbon ion radiotherapy is emerging as a particularly promising alternative, especially for patients whose tumors show resistance to conventional photon (X-ray) treatments. Thanks to their enhanced efficacy and ability to target difficult-to-treat tumor cells, carbon ions could offer new therapeutic prospects for the most complex cases.
Finally, the development and use of a post-irradiation organoid formation assay could become a benchmark tool for assessing the efficacy of different therapeutic strategies on biological models close to the patient. This test could thus become a key element in the personalized care pathway, facilitating decision-making and orientation towards the therapy best suited to each clinical situation.
A promising lead
The combination of organoids and carbon ion radiotherapy represents a major advance in the development of personalized therapeutic strategies at the Centre Baclesse. This work opens up concrete prospects for improving the prognosis of patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, particularly those for whom conventional treatments are showing their limitations.
