In all, we reported, for the first time, that MiR-422a and its target CD73 are involved in early loco(regional) recurrence of HNSCC tumors and are new targets for personalized medicine.
Altogether, these findings highlight the immunoregulatory role of CD73 in the development of HNSCC and we propose that CD73 may prove to be a promising immunotherapeutic target for the treatment of HNSCC.
The highest level of CD39/CD73 ectoenzymes and of adenosine production was found in CD3<sup>(-)</sup> exosomes in patients with the stages III/IV HNSCCs).