Immunomethylomic profiles of long-term head and neck squamous cell carcinoma survivors on immune checkpoint inhibitors.

This study addresses the challenge of predicting the response of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients to immunotherapy. Using DNA methylation cytometry, we analyzed the immune profiles of six HNSCC patients who showed a positive response to immunotherapy over a year without disease progression. There was an initial increase in CD8 T memory cells and natural killer cells during the first four cycles of immunotherapy, which then returned to baseline levels after a year. Baseline CD8 T cell levels were lower in HNSCC immunotherapy responders but became similar to those in healthy subjects after immunotherapy. These findings suggest that monitoring fluctuations in immune profiles could potentially identify biomarkers for immunotherapy response in HNSCC patients.