Head and neck cancer immunotherapy: Clinical evaluation

Abstract

Overall survival for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) has not improved appreciably over the past few decades. Because standard treatments have not controlled this disease with sufficiently high success rates, novel therapeutic approaches, such as immunotherapy, are under investigation. Cancer immunotherapy involves various techniques used to expand and activate the immune system to control tumor growth in vivo; to date, clinical evaluation has demonstrated low toxicity. An emerging form of SCCHN immunotherapy involves the use of antibodies that target growth factor receptors (where immune activation appears to enhance tumor lysis), resulting in improved clinical outcome. So far, immunotherapy appears to have the most applicability after other therapeutic interventions; however, its vast potential clinical value has yet to be fully explored. This article reviews immunotherapeutic strategies currently in clinical trials or under development for patients with SCCHN.

Mononuclear phagocytes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…Trials have been done with tumour-associated antigens (TAA) and peptides though objective clinical responses are still rare [103]. Studies have been performed where MNPs have been used as an adjuvant tool in treatment of HNSCC [104, 105]. Many of these studies are Phase I and II studies particularly using DCs as an adjuvant to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy [105].…”

“…Studies have been performed where MNPs have been used as an adjuvant tool in treatment of HNSCC [104, 105]. Many of these studies are Phase I and II studies particularly using DCs as an adjuvant to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy [105]. Other clinical studies have also focused on the use of NK cells as a form of immunotherapy where endogenous NK cells are activated by infusions of cytokines, or allogeneic cells are adoptively transferred to a donor with cancer [106].…”

Identification of potential therapeutic targets in human head & neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…The survival rate of patients with head & neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has not improved significantly despite multimodality therapy including surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Recent investigations have focused on novel therapeutic approaches, and on the identification of molecular targets for therapy [ 3 , 4 ].…”

From Monoclonal Antibodies to Chimeric Antigen Receptors for the Treatment of Human Malignancies

“…For instance, tumor cells can escape the toxic effects of mAbs if the targeted antigen has dim or heterogeneous expression, or if the mAb binds to the antigen in a suboptimal fashion thus failing to recruit the effector cells that ultimately promote the elimination of tumor cells(23;24). Finally, since mAbs are generally administered via intravenous infusion, physical barriers in vivo, such as endothelial cells and extracellular matrix, can drastically reduce the effective biodistribution of mAbs to the tumor cells(24).…”