Background. Apatinib is an anticancer drug known to inhibit the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) through regulating tyrosine kinases. Drug resistance and reduced activity in various cancers is the matter of great concern; thus, researchers opt to use combination of the two or more drugs. So far, its gynergetic anticancer role with a traditional Chinese drug Ginsenoside-Rb1 (G-Rb1) has not been studied in cancers including hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Objective. The current study is aimed at investigating the anticancer synergetic effects of G-Rb1 and apatinib in hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods. The synergetic effects of both drugs on cell proliferation, wound healing and cell migration, and cell apoptosis were studied in hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Furthermore, the xenograft rat model was generated, and tumor inhibition was monitored after treating rats with both drugs as mono- and combination therapy. In addition, protein expression and localization were performed by western blotting and immunofluorescent staining, respectively. Results. The analyses of the data showed that combination therapy of apatinib and G-Rb1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and wound healing capability of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Moreover, the glycolysis rate of the cells in the combination therapy (apatinib and G-Rb1) group was significantly decreased as compared to that in the monotherapy group or no treatment group, suggesting that the glycolysis inhibition led to the inhibition of tumor growth. Moreover, the combination therapy on xenograft rats dramatically reduced the tumor size. Furthermore, combination therapy also exhibited an increased count of CD3+ and CD4+ T cells, as well as the ratio between CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Conclusion. Interestingly, a combination of apatinib and G-Rb1 induced more tumor cell apoptosis and reduced cell proliferation than the individual drug treatment and promote antitumor immunity by enhancing immunomodulatory molecules. Thus, we believe that this study could serve as a valuable platform to assess the synergetic anticancer effects of the herbal as well as synthetic medicines.

CD8+ T lymphocytes, also known as cytotoxic T lymphocytes, are the most powerful antitumour cells in the human body. Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in whom CD8+ T lymphocyte infiltration is high have a better prognosis. However, the clinical significance and prognostic significance of CD8+ T cell-related regulatory genes in HNSCC remain unclear, and further research is required. In total, 446 CD8+ T cell-related genes were obtained using WGCNA. It was discovered that 111 genes included within the TCGA and GSE65858 datasets were intimately linked to the patient’s prognosis. These genes were included in the subsequent analysis. According to consensus clustering analysis, HNSCC samples were classified into 3 subtypes (IC1, IC2, and IC3). There were substantial differences between the three subtypes in terms of immunological molecules, immune function, and the response to drug treatment. In addition, the 8-gene signature, which was generated premised on CD8+ T cell-related genes, exhibited stable prognostic prediction in the TCGA and GEO datasets and different HNSCC patient subgroups and independently served as a prognostic indicator for HNSCC. More importantly, the 8-gene signature effectively predicted immunotherapy response. We first constructed a molecular subtype of HNSCC based on CD8+ T cell-related genes. Between the three subtypes, there were significant differences in the prognosis, clinical features, immunological molecules, and drug treatment response. The 8-gene signature that was further constructed effectively predicted prognosis and immunotherapy response.