Evolving role of immunotherapy in head-and-neck cancers: A systemic review

Abstract

Head-and-neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCCs) are one of the most common cancers worldwide and account for more than half million new cases and 380,000 deaths per year. A large number of patients are diagnosed with locally advanced disease and require multimodal treatment approaches. Despite advances in radiation and surgical techniques and the use of chemotherapy and monoclonal antibodies in advanced disease, more than half of all patients recur. Tumor cells from various solid malignancies, including HNSCC, over-express PD-LI to habituate the immune checkpoint pathways to evade immune surveillance. In this review, we summarize the current literature on immunotherapeutic options that are available for HNSCC patients.

Keywords

• Head-and-neck cancers
• immunology
• immunotherapy
• nivolumab
• pembrolizumab