Immunotherapy in HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancers
Logan Roof, Emrullah Yilmaz
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) incidence has been increasing in recent decades. Treatment of the locally advanced HPV-related OPSCC includes a multidisciplinary approach. Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors is used in the treatment of patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), including HPV-related OPSCC patients. There is increasing knowledge of the role of HPV in the tumor immune microenvironment. Therefore, HPV status of OPSCC plays an essential role in the design of immunotherapy clinical trials in both curative intent and metastatic settings. Moreover, HPV has become a potential therapeutic target, with vaccines and adoptive T-cell therapies being developed against HPV for the treatment of OPSCC. Several novel studies are designed to target HPV in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Thus, HPV-related OPSCC remains a unique subgroup in the immunotherapy era.