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Checkpoint Inhibitors in Head and Neck Cancer: Rationale, Clinical Activity, and Potential Biomarkers

  • Head and Neck Cancer (J-P Machiels, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

The discovery and antibody targeting of immune regulatory molecules such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) pathways have led to clinically meaningful anti-cancer results. Rapid advances are being made in a variety of tumor types resulting in regulatory approvals in melanoma, non small cell lung cancer, and renal cell cancer. Numerous ongoing studies are expected to establish the worth of PD-1 pathway inhibitors in other tumor types as well as in combinations with approved agents. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a complex group of malignancies characterized by profound immunosuppression and is an excellent candidate for investigation in this exciting field. However, given the fact that a subset of patients will likely benefit, it is critical to focus on biomarker development for appropriate patient selection and facilitation of trial design. As immunotherapy is settling in cancer treatment, immune checkpoint inhibitors are emerging as one of the most promising agents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, Attikon University Hospital, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, 1St Rimini St, 12462, Haidari, Athens, Greece

    Panagiota Economopoulou MD, PhD, Ioannis Kotsantis MD & Amanda Psyrri MD, PhD

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  1. Panagiota Economopoulou MD, PhD
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  2. Ioannis Kotsantis MD
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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Head and Neck Cancer

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Economopoulou, P., Kotsantis, I. & Psyrri, A. Checkpoint Inhibitors in Head and Neck Cancer: Rationale, Clinical Activity, and Potential Biomarkers. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 17, 40 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-016-0419-z

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