AUTHOR=Wang Hao-fan , Wang Sha-sha , Tang Ya-Jie , Chen Yu , Zheng Min , Tang Ya-ling , Liang Xin-hua 

TITLE=The Double-Edged Sword—How Human Papillomaviruses Interact With Immunity in Head and Neck Cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00653

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2019.00653

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have remarkably better prognosis, which differs from HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) with respect to clinical, genomic, molecular, and immunological aspects, especially having the characteristics of high levels of immune cell infiltration and high degrees of immunosuppression. This review will summarize immune evasion mechanisms in HPV-positive HNSCC, analyze the host various immune responses to HPV and abundant numbers of infiltrating immune cell, and discuss the differences between HPV-positive HNSCC with cervical cancer. A deeper understanding of the immune landscape will help new concepts to emerge in immune-checkpoint oncology, which might be a valuable add-on to established concepts.</p>