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Immune Evasion by Head and Neck Cancer: Foundations for Combination Therapy

Joshua D Horton1, Hannah M Knochelmann2, Terry A Day1

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.

Trends in Cancer
|April 10, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Head and neck cancers are disfiguring and deadly. Combining immunotherapies may overcome tumor resistance and improve patient outcomes for this challenging disease.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Head and neck cancer presents significant morbidity and mortality.
  • Immunotherapy shows promise for recurrent/metastatic disease, but responses are often limited.
  • Tumor-infiltrating immune cells suggest potential for immunotherapeutic intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze immune escape mechanisms in the head and neck cancer tumor microenvironment.
  • To identify rational combination strategies to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.
  • To overcome limitations associated with single-agent immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of immune pathway derangements within the head and neck cancer microenvironment.
  • Analysis of existing immunotherapy response data.
  • Literature review on combination treatment strategies.

Main Results:

  • Single-agent immunotherapy provides transient or durable responses in a subset of patients.
  • Head and neck cancers employ specific immune escape mechanisms.
  • Combination strategies are being developed to enhance therapeutic outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding immune evasion is crucial for improving head and neck cancer treatment.
  • Combination immunotherapy offers a promising approach to overcome treatment resistance.
  • Targeting the tumor microenvironment can enhance durable responses in head and neck cancer.
Keywords:
combination therapyhead and neck cancerimmunotherapytumor immunitytumor microenvironment

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