Perri Francesco, Ottaviano Margaret, Tomaciello Miriam, De Felice Francesca
Clinical and Experimental Head and Neck Medical Oncology Unit, INT IRCCS Foundation G Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Department of Melanoma, Cancer Immunotherapy and Development Therapeutics, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Cancers (Basel). 2025 Jul 1;17(13):2215. doi: 10.3390/cancers17132215.
: Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a novel form of adoptive cellular immunotherapy that involves modifying autologous T cells to recognize and target tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) on malignant cells, independent of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction. Although CAR-T therapy has shown remarkable success in treating hematologic malignancies, its efficacy in solid tumors remains limited, largely due to the lack of tumor-specific antigens and the complexity of the tumor microenvironment. This review aims to explore the rationale for continuing the development of adoptive cellular therapies in head and neck cancer (HNC), offering insights into the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with this heterogeneous group of malignancies. : We conducted a comprehensive literature review using the PubMed database to identify relevant studies on the application of CAR-T cell therapy in the management of HNC. : HNC presented numerous barriers to CAR-T cell infiltration, primarily due to the unique characteristics of its tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME in HNC is notably immunosuppressive, with a lymphocytic infiltrate predominantly composed of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and natural killer (NK) cells. These immune cells typically exhibit low expression of the CD16 receptor, which plays a crucial role in mediating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), thereby limiting the effectiveness of CAR-T cell therapy. : This comprehensive review suggests a potential clinical applicability of CAR-T therapy in HNC management.
嵌合抗原受体T细胞（CAR-T）疗法是一种新型的过继性细胞免疫疗法，该疗法涉及对自体T细胞进行改造，使其能够识别并靶向恶性细胞上的肿瘤相关抗原（TAA），而不受主要组织相容性复合体（MHC）限制。尽管CAR-T疗法在治疗血液系统恶性肿瘤方面已取得显著成功，但其在实体瘤中的疗效仍然有限，这主要是由于缺乏肿瘤特异性抗原以及肿瘤微环境的复杂性所致。本综述旨在探讨对头颈部癌（HNC）继续开展过继性细胞疗法的理论依据，深入了解与这类异质性恶性肿瘤相关的诊断和治疗挑战。：我们使用PubMed数据库进行了全面的文献综述，以确定关于CAR-T细胞疗法在HNC治疗中应用的相关研究。：HNC对CAR-T细胞浸润存在众多障碍，主要是由于其肿瘤微环境（TME）的独特特征。HNC中的TME具有显著的免疫抑制作用，淋巴细胞浸润主要由调节性T细胞（Treg）和自然杀伤（NK）细胞组成。这些免疫细胞通常表现出低水平的CD16受体表达，而CD16受体在介导抗体依赖性细胞毒性（ADCC）中起关键作用，从而限制了CAR-T细胞疗法的有效性。：这一全面综述表明CAR-T疗法在HNC治疗中具有潜在的临床适用性。
