title: Recognizing and reversing the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of head and neck cancer.
abstract: The estimated annual incidence of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer is 39,000 in the United States and 260,000 cases worldwide. Despite significant advances in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the 5-year survival rate for locally advanced head and neck tumors remains at 50 %. With further intensification of existing treatment limited by the already significant morbidity of multi-modality treatment, there is a clear need for novel therapeutic strategies [1]. Accumulating evidence suggests that the tumor microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is highly immunosuppressive, mediated by soluble and cell-associated inhibitory mediators and recruitment of host immunosuppressive cells. Thus, understanding and reversing the specific mechanisms underlying tumor-mediated immunosuppression in HNSCC is an important approach to generating an effective antitumor immune response, either as a component of immune-based therapy or as a complement to conventional treatment approaches. This article outlines significant immune-suppressive mechanisms in the HNSCC tumor microenvironment and potential approaches to enhancing the antitumor immune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1189, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Charles C L
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Johnny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Sikora
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000276:immunology*