Role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in head and neck cancer

Abstract

Based on the results of the CheckMate 141 trial, nivolumab, an antiprogrammed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody, was approved for management of unresectable recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer in Japan in 2017. Subsequently, pembrolizumab was approved in 2019 for treatment of the aforementioned cancer and is now widely used in clinical settings. This review describes the current status of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer.