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Parmar K, Mohamed A, Vaish E, Thawani R, Cetnar J, Thein KZ. Immunotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: An updated review. Cancer Treat Res Commun 2022; 33:100649. [PMID: 36279709 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2022.100649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The tumor microenvironment for HNSCC is a complex interplay of immune cells, stromal cells, and cytokines amongst others. Immunotherapy acts as an effective antineoplastic agent by influencing this complex environment and includes immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). ICI have been approved in the frontline setting for recurrent and metastatic (R/M) HNSCC as well as platinum-refractory (second line) R/M HNSCC. However, recent clinical studies highlight that the response to immunotherapy varies, and different ICI, as well as different combination strategies play a crucial role in augmenting the efficacy of immunotherapy. An in-depth analysis and focused study of the immune contexture in patients with HNSCC receiving ICI remains critical. Many novel immunotherapies including CAR-T cell therapy, oncolytic virus therapy, and vaccines are underway. Ongoing trials are testing ICI in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. Furthermore, identifying better biomarkers to target population that benefits from immunotherapy is of paramount importance. Pioneering the optimal combination regimen utilizing new novel immunotherapy has recently become a paradigm shift in the HNSCC treatment landscape. Herein, we summarize the clinical development with all ongoing clinical trials of immunotherapy in HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Parmar
- Department of General Internal medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th St, Lubbock, TX 79430, United States.
| | - A Mohamed
- Department of General Internal medicine, University of Washington- Boise Internal Medicine Residency, 500W Fort St #111, Boise, ID 83702, United States
| | - E Vaish
- School of Medicine, King George's Medical University, India
| | - R Thawani
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oregon Health and Science University/ Knight Cancer Institute, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Mail Code: OC14HO, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | - J Cetnar
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oregon Health and Science University/ Knight Cancer Institute, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Mail Code: OC14HO, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | - K Z Thein
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oregon Health and Science University/ Knight Cancer Institute, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Mail Code: OC14HO, Portland, OR 97239, United States
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Duhen T, Gough MJ, Leidner RS, Stanton SE. Development and therapeutic manipulation of the head and neck cancer tumor environment to improve clinical outcomes. FRONTIERS IN ORAL HEALTH 2022; 3:902160. [PMID: 35937775 PMCID: PMC9354490 DOI: 10.3389/froh.2022.902160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical response to cancer therapies involves the complex interplay between the systemic, tumoral, and stromal immune response as well as the direct impact of treatments on cancer cells. Each individual's immunological and cancer histories are different, and their carcinogen exposures may differ. This means that even though two patients with oral tumors may carry an identical mutation in TP53, they are likely to have different pre-existing immune responses to their tumors. These differences may arise due to their distinct accessory mutations, genetic backgrounds, and may relate to clinical factors including previous chemotherapy exposure and concurrent medical comorbidities. In isolation, their cancer cells may respond similarly to cancer therapy, but due to their baseline variability in pre-existing immune responses, patients can have different responses to identical therapies. In this review we discuss how the immune environment of tumors develops, the critical immune cell populations in advanced cancers, and how immune interventions can manipulate the immune environment of patients with pre-malignancies or advanced cancers to improve therapeutic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael J. Gough
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, United States
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Chandrasekaran S, Funk CR, Kleber T, Paulos CM, Shanmugam M, Waller EK. Strategies to Overcome Failures in T-Cell Immunotherapies by Targeting PI3K-δ and -γ. Front Immunol 2021; 12:718621. [PMID: 34512641 PMCID: PMC8427697 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.718621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
PI3K-δ and PI3K-γ are critical regulators of T-cell differentiation, senescence, and metabolism. PI3K-δ and PI3K-γ signaling can contribute to T-cell inhibition via intrinsic mechanisms and regulation of suppressor cell populations, including regulatory T-cells and myeloid derived suppressor cells in the tumor. We examine an exciting new role for using selective inhibitors of the PI3K δ- and γ-isoforms as modulators of T-cell phenotype and function in immunotherapy. Herein we review the current literature on the implications of PI3K-δ and -γ inhibition in T-cell biology, discuss existing challenges in adoptive T-cell therapies and checkpoint blockade inhibitors, and highlight ongoing efforts and future directions to incorporate PI3K-δ and PI3K-γ as synergistic T-cell modulators in immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Chandrasekaran
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Christopher Ronald Funk
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Troy Kleber
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Chrystal M. Paulos
- Department of Surgery/Microbiology & Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mala Shanmugam
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Edmund K. Waller
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Cohen EEW, Bell RB, Bifulco CB, Burtness B, Gillison ML, Harrington KJ, Le QT, Lee NY, Leidner R, Lewis RL, Licitra L, Mehanna H, Mell LK, Raben A, Sikora AG, Uppaluri R, Whitworth F, Zandberg DP, Ferris RL. The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on immunotherapy for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). J Immunother Cancer 2019; 7:184. [PMID: 31307547 PMCID: PMC6632213 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0662-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 366] [Impact Index Per Article: 73.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck cancers, including those of the lip and oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, oropharynx, larynx and nasopharynx represent nearly 700,000 new cases and 380,000 deaths worldwide per annum, and account for over 10,000 annual deaths in the United States alone. Improvement in outcomes are needed for patients with recurrent and or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the first immunotherapeutic approvals - the anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab - for the treatment of patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) that is refractory to platinum-based regimens. The European Commission followed in 2017 with approval of nivolumab for treatment of the same patient population, and shortly thereafter with approval of pembrolizumab monotherapy for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC in adults whose tumors express PD-L1 with a ≥ 50% tumor proportion score and have progressed on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy. Then in 2019, the FDA granted approval for PD-1 inhibition as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic or unresectable, recurrent HNSCC, approving pembrolizumab in combination with platinum and fluorouracil for all patients with HNSCC and pembrolizumab as a single agent for patients with HNSCC whose tumors express a PD-L1 combined positive score ≥ 1. These approvals marked the first new therapies for these patients since 2006, as well as the first immunotherapeutic approvals in this disease. In light of the introduction of these novel therapies for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer, The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) formed an expert committee tasked with generating consensus recommendations for emerging immunotherapies, including appropriate patient selection, therapy sequence, response monitoring, adverse event management, and biomarker testing. These consensus guidelines serve as a foundation to assist clinicians' understanding of the role of immunotherapies in this disease setting, and to standardize utilization across the field for patient benefit. Due to country-specific variances in approvals, availability and regulations regarding the discussed agents, this panel focused solely on FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of patients in the U.S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezra E W Cohen
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - R Bryan Bell
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Carlo B Bifulco
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Barbara Burtness
- Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Maura L Gillison
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Nancy Y Lee
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rom Leidner
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Cancer Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Lisa Licitra
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori Milan and University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Hisham Mehanna
- Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Loren K Mell
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Adam Raben
- Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Newark, DE, USA
| | | | - Ravindra Uppaluri
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
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Immunotherapy Approaches Beyond PD-1 Inhibition: the Future of Cellular Therapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2019; 20:31. [PMID: 30874960 PMCID: PMC10071759 DOI: 10.1007/s11864-019-0630-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT In a span of a few years, the surprising early successes of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors across a vast range of tumor types have transformed our understanding of cancer immunogenicity and provided proof of principle that T cells, if manipulated, can mediate meaningful tumor regression. In head and neck cancer, only a minority of patients respond to PD-1 therapy, but these small outcomes have fueled the enthusiasm for the next generation of immunotherapy-adoptive cell therapy-which employs recent advances in genetic engineering and cell culturing methods to generate T cells with enhanced anti-tumor efficacy for infusion back into the patient. Head and neck cancer is comprised of biologically distinct cancers, HPV-positive and HPV-negative, and the clinical responses to PD-1 inhibitors in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck patients have showcased better than any other cancer type that there are distinct pathways to immunogenicity that may lend themselves to different therapeutic approaches. Thus, head and neck cancer is uniquely poised to benefit from the personalized approach of adoptive cell therapy as well as provide a valuable platform to explore contrasting T cell modalities. In this article, we will review the growing portfolio of trials of adoptive cell therapies in head and neck cancer and discuss the future directions of this emerging new field.
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Omar HA, Tolba MF. Tackling molecular targets beyond PD-1/PD-L1: Novel approaches to boost patients' response to cancer immunotherapy. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2019; 135:21-29. [PMID: 30819443 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2019.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In the new era of immunotherapy, which has changed the clinical oncology practice guidelines, there is a pressing need for finding novel approaches to tune up the clinical outcomes of immunotherapy and extend its benefits to a wider cohort of cancer patients. Several non-classical molecular immune targets beyond PD-1/PD-L1 signaling were shown to be engaged as feedback resistance circuits to shut down the antitumor immune response mediated by the classical immune checkpoint inhibitors. Those include T-cell inducible co-stimulator (ICOS), CD40, CD47, V-domain Ig suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA), cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)12, enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), toll-like receptors (TLRs) and OX-40 (CD134). Herein we critically discussed the latest studies concerned with understanding the mechanisms involved in the negative clinical response to classical immunotherapies and strategies to optimize the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy through novel combinatorial approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hany A Omar
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt.
| | - Mai F Tolba
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt; Biology Department, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt.
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Behbahani TE, Rosenthal EL, Parker WB, Sorscher EJ. Intratumoral generation of 2-fluoroadenine to treat solid malignancies of the head and neck. Head Neck 2019; 41:1979-1983. [PMID: 30633420 DOI: 10.1002/hed.25627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This report describes treatment of locoregional head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) by an innovative, experimental strategy involving generation of a robust anti-cancer agent (2-fluoroadenine [F-Ade]) following transduction by Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) in a small number of tumor cells. F-Ade works by a unique mechanism of action (ablation of RNA and protein synthesis) and confers tumor regressions of otherwise refractory HNSCC in human subjects. Clinical studies have now advanced to a pivotal (registration-directed) trial involving locoregional HNSCC, with plans to begin subject enrollment late in 2018. The present review is the first to summarize use of PNP in the context of HNSCC, and provides background regarding this emerging anti-cancer approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Turang E Behbahani
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Eben L Rosenthal
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
| | | | - Eric J Sorscher
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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