Precision immunotherapy for head and neck cancer: therapeutic combinations, biomarker strategies, and translational challenges - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #immunotherapy
- #head and neck cancer
- #precision medicine
- Precision immunotherapy is transforming treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but durable benefits are limited to specific patient groups.
- The review highlights the shift from monotherapy to precision-guided combinations, focusing on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and novel sensitization approaches.
- Key strategies involve remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) to restore antigen presentation and T-cell function, rather than just boosting immune activation.
- Emerging interventions include RT-induced immunogenic cell death, innate immune pathway activation, metabolic modulation, and bioengineered drug delivery systems.
- Integrative biomarker frameworks (e.g., PD-L1 expression, tumor mutational burden, tertiary lymphoid structures) are refining patient stratification and treatment sequencing.
- Clinical translation faces challenges like inadequate biomarker integration, heterogeneous trial designs, and misalignment between biological endpoints and survival outcomes.
- The review advocates for biomarker-driven trials, longitudinal immune monitoring, and multidisciplinary collaboration to achieve durable clinical benefits.