UCSF

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignancy with high rates of mortality and morbidity. Beginning with cetuximab, investigators continue to optimize antibody technology to target cell-surface receptors that promote HNSCC growth. Small molecules and oligonucleotides have also emerged as therapeutic inhibitors of key receptor-mediated signaling pathways. Although many such therapies have been disappointing in clinical trials as single agents, they continue to be studied in combination with standard therapies. Approvals of pembrolizumab and nivolumab opened a new era of immunotherapy that aims to stimulate antitumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment. Immunotherapies are being intensively investigated in new HNSCC clinical trials, with the goal of optimizing the therapeutic potential of this new class of anticancer agent.