Immune checkpoint inhibitors: Utilizing patient's own immunity to treat oral cancer.

Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma is an immunosuppressive state. HNSCC evades immune responses through multiple resistance mechanisms. Because of better understanding of interaction between tumour microenvironment and immune regulators, there is increasing interest in role of immunotherapy as a treatment modality of HNSCC. Many clinical trials have been performed using checkpoint inhibitors, as monotherapies and combination therapies. Immune checkpoint molecule, programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) has shown promising results as a treatment of Recurrent and Metastatic HNSCC. This review discusses immune checkpoint molecules, their functional mechanisms, role of immunotherapy as a monotherapies and combination therapy for better treatment and prognosis of HNSCC patients.