Molecular response to induction chemotherapy and its correlation with treatment outcome in head and neck cancer patients by means of NMR-based metabolomics

BACKGROUND: The aim of this prospective study is to identify the biomarkers associated with the effects of induction chemotherapy (iCHT) in terms of the favorable/weaker response to the treatment in locally advanced head and neck squamous cells carcinomas (LA-HNSCC). METHODS: The studied group consisted of 53 LA-HNSCC patients treated with iCHT. The treatment tolerance was measured by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). The response to the treatment was evaluated by the clinical, fiberoptic and radiological examinations made before and after iCHT (the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors was used for classifying the extent of cancer spread). Proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) serum spectra of the samples collected before and after iCHT were acquired with a 400 MHz spectrometer and analyzed using the multivariate and univariate statistical methods. RESULTS: The molecular response to iCHT involves an increase of the serum lipids which is accompanied by the simultaneous decrease of alanine, glucose and N-acetyl-glycoprotein (NAG). Furthermore, in males, the iCHT induced changes in the lipid signals and NAG significantly correlate with the regression of the primary tumor. The OPLS-DA multivariate model identified two subgroups of the patients with a weaker metabolic and clinical response. The first one consisted of the patients with a significantly lower initial nodal stage, the second one showed no differences in the initial clinical and metabolic statuses. CONCLUSIONS: The NMR-based metabolomic study of the serum spectra revealed that iCHT induces the marked changes in the LA-HNSCC patients’ metabolic profiles and makes it possible to stratify the patients according to their response to iCHT. These effects are sex dependent. Further studies on a larger scale accounting for sex and the clinical and metabolic factors are warranted. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08137-4.