Neoadjuvant administration of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has substantially improved the outcomes in patients with various solid tumours, including those with head and neck cancer. However, not all patients derive benefit, indicating a need for biomarkers that enable accurate predictions of a response to these agents. In this Review the authors describe changes in both intratumour and circulating T cells in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer receiving neoadjuvant ICIs, and consider the role of specific T cell subsets as biomarkers in this setting.
- Maryann Zhao
- Jonathan D. Schoenfeld
- Ravindra Uppaluri