Inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis for the treatment of head and neck cancer: current status and future perspectives

Abstract

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a common malignant tumor, but traditional therapeutic methods have unsatisfactory curative effects and many complications occur. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop therapeutic methods that can elicit curative effects as well as low toxic and few side effects. With the development of cancer molecular biology and immunology, targeted therapy for immune checkpoints of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has shown enormous development prospects for HNC treatment. Groundbreaking progress has been achieved in the treatment of recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This review describes current treatment by PD-1- and PD-L1-targeted drugs for HNC.

Inter‐ and intraobserver agreement of programmed death ligand 1 scoring in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, urothelial carcinoma and breast carcinoma

“…PD‐L1 immunoexpression in TCs and/or ICs is a useful clinical biomarker to select patients who may benefit the most from immune check‐point inhibitors. Evaluation of PD‐L1 IHC has been included as either companion or supplementary tests in multiple anti‐PD1/anti‐PD‐L1 clinical trials of various cancers . Therefore, it becomes increasingly important for practising pathologists to provide reliable and consistent interpretation of PD‐L1 IHC across different tumour types, as it is of paramount importance in determining the eligibility for anti‐PD‐L1/anti‐PD1 therapy and to predict treatment benefits.…”

“…In recent years, PD‐L1 and PD‐1 have emerged as a key check‐point that can be manipulated with inhibitory monoclonal antibodies in various cancer types. Multiple prospective randomised clinical trials have shown promising results of PD‐1/PD‐L1 immune check‐point inhibitors in a variety of cancer types, including a subset of patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC), breast carcinoma (BC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC), leading to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of several anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 agents …”

“…To date, at least five PD‐L1 antibody clones, 22C3, SP263, SP142, 28‐8 and 73‐10, are commercially available, each marketed as a companion or complementary diagnostic test for a different anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 agent . Each antibody is associated with a different criterion for positivity in different cancer types . Therefore, given the complexity of PD‐L1 interpretation, it is important to determine whether pathologists can provide comparable and consistent PD‐L1 scoring in various clinical settings.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] In recent years, PD-L1 and PD-1 have emerged as a key check-point that can be manipulated with inhibitory monoclonal antibodies in various cancer types. Multiple prospective randomised clinical trials have shown promising results of PD-1/PD-L1 immune check-point inhibitors in a variety of cancer types, including a subset of patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC), [5][6][7][8] breast carcinoma (BC) 9,10 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC), [11][12][13][14] leading to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of several anti-PD-1/ PD-L1 agents. 13,15,16 The implementation of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor immunotherapy, a costly treatment modality with non-negligible side effects, has triggered a search for predictive biomarkers that may aid in the identification of patients most likely to derive clinically meaningful benefit.…”

Immune checkpoints indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase 1 and programmed death‐ligand 1 in oral mucosal dysplasia

“…The presence of distinct immune checkpoint molecules, such as indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) in tumors, are considered as negative prognostic factors . Furthermore, immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD‐1/PD‐L1 axis inhibitors, are already in use as anticancer therapies . Other immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as IDO1, are still in clinical trials …”