Open AccessUnderstanding the tumor microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Rad Habib Sadeghi,
Shiravand Yavar,
Radfar Payar,
Ladwa Rahul,
Perry Chris,
Han Xiaoyuan,
Warkiani Majid Ebrahimi,
Adams Mark N,
Hughes Brett GM,
O'Byrne Ken,
Kulasinghe Arutha
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
clinical and translational immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.321
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2050-0068
DOI - 10.1002/cti2.1397
Subject(s) - head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , tumor microenvironment , immunotherapy , medicine , immune checkpoint , oncology , blockade , cancer research , head and neck , basal cell , immune system , head and neck cancer , radiation therapy , immunology , receptor , surgery
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a heterogeneous group of tumors. While significant progress has been made using multimodal treatment, the 5‐year survival remains at 50%. Developing effective therapies, such as immunotherapy, will likely lead to better treatment of primary and metastatic disease. However, not all HNSCC tumors respond to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Understanding the complex cellular composition and interactions of the tumor microenvironment is likely to lead to new knowledge for effective therapies and treatment resistance. In this review, we discuss HNSCC characteristics, predictive biomarkers, factors influencing immunotherapy response, with a focus on the tumor microenvironment.