Why responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors are heterogeneous in head and neck cancers: Contributions from tumor-intrinsic and host-intrinsic factors.

ABSTRACT: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment including in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs); however, only a fraction of HNSCC patients respond to ICI, whereas the majority fail to do so. The mechanisms underlying such variable responses remain incompletely understood. A better understanding of such mechanisms may broaden the spectrum of responding patients and enhance the rate of ICI response. HNSCCs exhibit a high level of genetic heterogeneity, manifested as mutations or amplifications of oncogenes (e.g., PIK3CA) and mutations of tumor suppressor genes (e.g., TP53). The immune tumor microenvironment (TME) of HNSCCs also varies significantly in composition and in relative abundance of distinct immune subsets such as CD8 tumor-infilt

SUBMITTER: Chen Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9623029 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature