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Updated: Jul 26, 2026
Isolation and Characterization of a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subpopulation Having Stem Cell Characteristics
Published on: May 11, 2016
Current and Future Biomarkers for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Jong Chul Park1, Hari N Krishnakumar2, Srinivas Vinod Saladi3
1Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Abstract:
With the introduction of immunotherapy, significant improvement has been made in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, only a small subset of patients with HNSCC benefit from immunotherapy. The current biomarker, a programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression that is widely used in treatment decision making for advanced HNSCC, has only a moderate predictive value. Additionally, PD-L1-based assay has critical inherent limitations due to its highly dynamic nature and lack of standardization. With the advance in molecular techniques and our understanding of biology, more reliable, reproducible, and practical novel biomarkers are being developed. These include but are not limited to neoantigen/mutation characteristics, immune transcriptomes, tumor-infiltrating immune cell composition, cancer epigenomic, proteomics and metabolic characteristics, and plasma-based and organoid assays.
Insights
Immunotherapy improves head and neck cancer treatment, but predicting response is challenging. New biomarkers beyond PD-L1 expression are needed for better patient selection in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Immunotherapy has advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment.
- However, only a limited number of HNSCC patients benefit from current immunotherapies.
- Programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, a common biomarker, has moderate predictive value and limitations in standardization and dynamic nature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the need for novel biomarkers in HNSCC immunotherapy.
- To discuss the limitations of current PD-L1 based assays.
- To introduce emerging biomarkers for improved patient stratification.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on immunotherapy biomarkers for HNSCC.
- Analysis of the limitations associated with PD-L1 expression assays.
- Exploration of novel molecular, cellular, and assay-based biomarker candidates.
Main Results:
- PD-L1 expression is an imperfect biomarker for HNSCC immunotherapy response.
- Emerging biomarkers show promise for more reliable and reproducible prediction.
- These novel biomarkers encompass neoantigen/mutation characteristics, immune transcriptomes, and cellular composition.
Conclusions:
- Reliable and practical biomarkers are crucial for optimizing HNSCC immunotherapy.
- Advancements in molecular techniques are enabling the development of superior predictive assays.
- Future research should focus on validating and integrating these novel biomarkers into clinical practice for HNSCC.
