Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (SCCHN) are not rare malignancies and account for 7% of all solid tumors. Prognosis of SCCHN patients strongly depends on tumor extension, site of onset, and genetics. Advanced disease (recurrent/metastatic) is associated with poor prognosis, with a median overall survival of 13 months. In these patients, immunotherapy may represent an interesting option of treatment, given the good results reached by check-point inhibitors in clinical practice. Nevertheless, only a minor number of patients with advanced disease respond to immunotherapy, and, disease progressions/hyper-progressions are common. The latter could be a very difficult issue, especially in patients having a wide and highly symptomatic head/neck mass. Given the potentiality to boost the immune response of some local modalities, such as electrochemotherapy, a possible future approach may take into account the combination of electrochemotherapy and immunotherapy to treat patients affected by SCCHN, suffering from symptomatic lesions that need rapid debulking.
Boosting the immune response with the combination of electrochemotherapy and immunotherapy: A new weapon for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck? / Longo, F.; Perri, F.; Caponigro, F.; Scarpati, G. D. V.; Guida, A.; Pavone, E.; Aversa, C.; Muto, P.; Giuliano, M.; Ionna, F.; Solla, R.. - In: CANCERS. - ISSN 2072-6694. - 12:10(2020), pp. 1-11. [10.3390/cancers12102781]
Boosting the immune response with the combination of electrochemotherapy and immunotherapy: A new weapon for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck?
Longo F.;Perri F.;Pavone E.;Giuliano M.;Solla R.
2020
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (SCCHN) are not rare malignancies and account for 7% of all solid tumors. Prognosis of SCCHN patients strongly depends on tumor extension, site of onset, and genetics. Advanced disease (recurrent/metastatic) is associated with poor prognosis, with a median overall survival of 13 months. In these patients, immunotherapy may represent an interesting option of treatment, given the good results reached by check-point inhibitors in clinical practice. Nevertheless, only a minor number of patients with advanced disease respond to immunotherapy, and, disease progressions/hyper-progressions are common. The latter could be a very difficult issue, especially in patients having a wide and highly symptomatic head/neck mass. Given the potentiality to boost the immune response of some local modalities, such as electrochemotherapy, a possible future approach may take into account the combination of electrochemotherapy and immunotherapy to treat patients affected by SCCHN, suffering from symptomatic lesions that need rapid debulking.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.