HPV-positive status associated with inflamed immune microenvironment and improved response to anti-PD-1 therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Chemotherapy and radiotherapy predominantly improve the clinical outcomes of patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Whether this superiority goes on when treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors is still unclear. This study sought to determine the predictive value and potential mechanisms of HPV status for the treatment of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/ligand 1(PD-L1) inhibitors. We conducted an integrated analysis of the relationships between HPV status and PD-L1, tumor mutation burden (TMB) and inflammation-related immune cells and molecules, based on the analysis of repository databases and resected HNSCC specimens. The pooled analysis of overall survival (OS) and objective response rate (ORR) suggested that HPV-positive patient

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6746709 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature