title: Anti-Tumor Immunity in Head and Neck Cancer: Understanding the Evidence, How Tumors Escape and Immunotherapeutic Approaches.
abstract: Many carcinogen- and human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated head and neck cancers (HNSCC) display a hematopoietic cell infiltrate indicative of a T-cell inflamed phenotype and an underlying anti-tumor immune response. However, by definition, these tumors have escaped immune elimination and formed a clinically significant malignancy. A number of both genetic and environmental mechanisms may allow such immune escape, including selection of poorly antigenic cancer cell subsets, tumor produced proinflammatory and immunosuppressive cytokines, recruitment of immunosuppressive immune cell subsets into the tumor and expression of checkpoint pathway components that limit T-cell responses. Here, we explore concepts of antigenicity and immunogenicity in solid tumors, summarize the scientific and clinical data that supports the use of immunotherapeutic approaches in patients with head and neck cancer, and discuss immune-based treatment approaches currently in clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. clint.allen@nih.gov.|Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. clint.allen@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Clint T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. paul.clavijo@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Clavijo
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. vanwaesc@nidcd.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Carter
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Waes
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Surgery Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. chenz@nidcd.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: adaptive immunity; antigenicity; checkpoint inhibitors; immunogenicity; immunosuppression; immunotherapy; innate immunity; syngeneic mouse models; tumor antigen; vaccines