Immunotherapy: The future of cancer treatment

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are one of the most common cancers worldwide. A large number of patients are diagnosed with locally advanced disease and require multimodal treatment approaches. Standard treatment modalities ranging from surgery to chemotherapy and radiation are yielding mixed results. To overcome this hurdle, newer innovative approaches are required to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the patients. In the last few decades, immunotherapy has become an important part of treating some types of cancer. The immune system plays a key role in the development, establishment and progression of HNSCC. A greater understanding of the dysregulation and evasion of the immune system in the evolution and progression of HNSCC provides the basis for improved therapies and outcomes for patients. Newer types of immune treatments are now being studied, and they will impact how we treat cancer in the future. This article provides a brief overview of the current immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer with emphasis on HNSCC.

Keywords: Adoptive cell transfer; head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma; immune checkpoint inhibitors; immunotherapy; monoclonal antibody; oncolytic viruses; tumor vaccine.

Figure 1

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is a type of treatment in which a patient's T cells (a type of immune cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will bind to cancer cells and kill them. Credit: National Cancer Institute US

Figure 2

Checkpoint proteins, such as PD-L1 on tumor cells and PD-1 on T cells, help keep immune responses in check. The binding of PD-L1 to PD-1 keeps T cells from killing tumor cells in the body (left panel). Blocking the binding of PD-L1 to PD-1 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-1) allows the T cells to kill tumor cells (right panel). Credit: National Cancer Institute US