[Immunotherapy for HNSCC : Quo vadis?].
BACKGROUND
Immunotherapy remains a hot topic with an endless stream of new upcoming clinical trials. The results of studies to date are promising for second-line palliative treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The next step is testing these strategies in randomized trials for first-line and curative treatment in an adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and primarily nonsurgical setting. So far, established biomarkers have not proven reliable enough to predict response rates precisely.


OBJECTIVE
On occasion of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), we aimed to invesitage the future of immunotherapies.


METHODS
We collected the most promising upcoming studies alongside current research in the field of biomarkers with a  view to interesting new immunotherapeutic strategies.


RESULTS
The search for appropriate biomarkers in particular seems to be a central research objective in the short term. There is a broad range of new agents that will be tested in clinical trials as well as the combination of immunotherapy with chemo- and chemoradiotherapy or other immune-modulating drugs.


CONCLUSIONS
The real challenge will be to find the most fitting therapy for each patient out of a large panel of available regimens. Therefore, it is most important to find a set of reliable biomarkers that together could predict treatment response.
Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde und Kopf-Hals-Chirurgie, Universitätsklinik Ulm, Frauensteige 12, 89070, Ulm, Deutschland. johannes.doescher@uniklinik-ulm.de.
J
J
Döscher
Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde und Kopf-Hals-Chirurgie und Onkologie, Kopf-Hals-Tumorzentrum des UCCH, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland.
C-J
CJ
Busch
Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde und Kopf-Hals-Chirurgie, Universitätsklinik Ulm, Frauensteige 12, 89070, Ulm, Deutschland.
P J
PJ
Schuler
Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde und Kopf-Hals-Chirurgie, Universitätsklinik Ulm, Frauensteige 12, 89070, Ulm, Deutschland.
S
S
Laban
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000276:immunology*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000639:trends; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019496:Cancer Vaccines
Biomarker; CTLA-4; Head and neck cancer; Immune modulation; PD-1 receptor