Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
Vascular Biology and Translational Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 20;24(14):11695. doi: 10.3390/ijms241411695.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has revolutionized the treatment of many cancer types, including head and neck cancers (HNC). When checkpoint and partner proteins bind, these send an "off" signal to T cells, which prevents the immune system from destroying tumor cells. However, in HNC, and indeed many other cancers, more people do not respond and/or suffer from toxic effects than those who do respond. Hence, newer, more effective approaches are needed. The challenge to durable therapy lies in a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between immune cells, tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. This will help develop therapies that promote lasting tumorlysis by overcoming T-cell exhaustion. Here we explore the strengths and limitations of current ICI therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We also review emerging small-molecule immunotherapies and the growing promise of neutrophil extracellular traps in controlling tumor progression and metastasis.
免疫检查点抑制剂 (ICI) 治疗已经彻底改变了许多癌症类型的治疗方法，包括头颈部癌症 (HNC)。当检查点和伙伴蛋白结合时，这些蛋白会向 T 细胞发送“关闭”信号，从而阻止免疫系统破坏肿瘤细胞。然而，在 HNC 中，实际上在许多其他癌症中，没有响应的患者比有响应的患者更多，而且还会遭受毒性作用。因此，需要更新、更有效的方法。持久治疗的挑战在于更深入地了解免疫细胞、肿瘤细胞和肿瘤微环境之间的复杂相互作用。这将有助于开发通过克服 T 细胞衰竭来促进持久肿瘤溶解的疗法。在这里，我们探讨了当前 ICI 疗法在头颈部鳞状细胞癌 (HNSCC) 中的优势和局限性。我们还回顾了新兴的小分子免疫疗法以及中性粒细胞细胞外陷阱在控制肿瘤进展和转移方面的日益增长的前景。
