Head and neck cancers (HNCs) and brain tumors continue to be fatal diseases in most countries of the world. In the past decade, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy and achieved unprecedented bench-to-bedside clinical success in the field of oncology. Different from traditional surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the current cancer immunotherapy aims to recover or enhance the immune system of a patient, to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells from the primary tumor and metastases. Numerous immunotherapy strategies, in particular immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cellular therapies, and cancer vaccines, are under pre-clinical investigations or in ongoing clinical trials in a range of cancer types. Among them, novel drugs have continued to be approved by the FDA, which has revolutionized the current cancer treatment by prolonging the survival time of the patients, especially in advanced unresectable tumors. However, not all patients achieve complete responses to immunotherapy due to de novo or acquired resistance. Also, immunotherapy-related adverse events are common, although it has a better safety profile than the traditional treatments. It has limited the application and efficacy of cancer immunotherapy in tumors, including the HNCs and brain tumors, and highlights the need for new strategies.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a forum to advance research on the contribution of cancer immunotherapy as well as to elucidate the mechanisms of cancer immune evasion, in the attempt to identify new druggable targets and explore innovative strategies to enhance the clinical responses and improve medication safety of the immunotherapy for patients with head and neck cancers and brain tumors.
In this Research Topic, we are inviting authors to submit original research papers, as well as review articles, to discuss the current understanding of cancer immunotherapy in head and neck tumors and brain tumors, from the perspectives as below:
1) Molecular and biochemical advances – e.g., novel tumor-targeted neoantigens
2) Mechanisms of T cell activation and regulation
3) Mechanisms of cancer immune evasion
4) Current human clinical successes and challenges against cancer
5) Tumor microenvironment and mechanisms of drug resistance
6) Combination studies – e.g., Immune checkpoint inhibitors + traditional therapies
7) Neoadjuvant (presurgical) immunotherapy
8) Immunotherapy and cancer stem cells
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) and brain tumors continue to be fatal diseases in most countries of the world. In the past decade, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy and achieved unprecedented bench-to-bedside clinical success in the field of oncology. Different from traditional surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the current cancer immunotherapy aims to recover or enhance the immune system of a patient, to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells from the primary tumor and metastases. Numerous immunotherapy strategies, in particular immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cellular therapies, and cancer vaccines, are under pre-clinical investigations or in ongoing clinical trials in a range of cancer types. Among them, novel drugs have continued to be approved by the FDA, which has revolutionized the current cancer treatment by prolonging the survival time of the patients, especially in advanced unresectable tumors. However, not all patients achieve complete responses to immunotherapy due to de novo or acquired resistance. Also, immunotherapy-related adverse events are common, although it has a better safety profile than the traditional treatments. It has limited the application and efficacy of cancer immunotherapy in tumors, including the HNCs and brain tumors, and highlights the need for new strategies.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a forum to advance research on the contribution of cancer immunotherapy as well as to elucidate the mechanisms of cancer immune evasion, in the attempt to identify new druggable targets and explore innovative strategies to enhance the clinical responses and improve medication safety of the immunotherapy for patients with head and neck cancers and brain tumors.
In this Research Topic, we are inviting authors to submit original research papers, as well as review articles, to discuss the current understanding of cancer immunotherapy in head and neck tumors and brain tumors, from the perspectives as below:
1) Molecular and biochemical advances – e.g., novel tumor-targeted neoantigens
2) Mechanisms of T cell activation and regulation
3) Mechanisms of cancer immune evasion
4) Current human clinical successes and challenges against cancer
5) Tumor microenvironment and mechanisms of drug resistance
6) Combination studies – e.g., Immune checkpoint inhibitors + traditional therapies
7) Neoadjuvant (presurgical) immunotherapy
8) Immunotherapy and cancer stem cells
