Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Abstract

Head and neck tumors are among the ten most common neoplasms both in the world and in Russia [1]. In 64% of cases, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is first diagnosed at the stage of a locally spread process. The emergence of new equipment for radiation therapy, new irradiation techniques such as VMAT, IMRT, better visualization, positioning of the patient and the emergence of new methods of drug treatment have allowed to increase the duration and quality of life of patients. However, even with such treatment approaches, the 5-year overall survival rate is only 50% [11]. The effectiveness of immunotherapy in patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and unsatisfactory results of surgical treatment of operable stages have set the ground for active study of neoadjuvant therapy [11]. In the available literature, we found that neoadjuvant immunotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has already demonstrated its effectiveness in preliminary clinical studies, which makes it a promising direction for further study and implementation in the daily practice of an oncologist