Immunotherapies and Future Combination Strategies for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2019-10, Vol.20 (21), p.5399
• Main Authors: Cristina, Valerie, Herrera-Gómez, Ruth Gabriela, Szturz, Petr, Espeli, Vittoria, Siano, Marco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antigens; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; B7-H1 Antigen - antagonists & inhibitors; Biomarkers; Cancer therapies; Chemokines; Chemotherapy; Cytokines; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; FDA approval; Growth factors; Head & neck cancer; Head and Neck Neoplasms - drug therapy; Head and Neck Neoplasms - immunology; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Immune checkpoint; Immune system; Immunosuppressive agents; Immunotherapy; Inhibitors; Lymphocytes; Medical prognosis; Metastases; Monoclonal antibodies; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Oral cancer; Patients; PD-1 protein; PD-L1 protein; Physiology; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor - antagonists & inhibitors; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Review; Squamous cell carcinoma; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - drug therapy; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - immunology; Treatment Outcome; Tumorigenesis
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20215399

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and has a dismal prognosis. Nearly 10 years after the approval of cetuximab, anti-PD1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors are the first drugs that have shown any survival benefit for the treatment on platinum-refractory recurrent/metastatic (R/M) HNSCC. Furthermore, checkpoint inhibitors are better tolerated than chemotherapy. The state of the art in the treatment of R/M HNSCC is changing, thanks to improved results for checkpoint inhibitors. Results for these treatments are also awaited in curative settings and for locally advanced HNSCC. Unfortunately, the response rate of immunotherapy is low. Therefore, the identification of predictive biomarkers of response and resistance to anti-PD1/PD-L1 is a key point for better selecting patients that would benefit the most from immunotherapy. Furthermore, the combination of checkpoint inhibitors with various agents is being currently evaluated to improve the response rate, prolong response duration, and even increase the chances for a cure. In this review, we summarize the most important results regarding immune targeting agents for HNSCC, predictive biomarkers for resistance to immune therapies, and future perspectives.