Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is categorized as the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with an incidence of more than 830,000 cases per year and a mortality rate of 50%. Tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and Human Papillomavirus infection are the prominent risks for HNSCC. Despite significant developments in the treatment of HNSCC, a high rate of recurrences makes the clinical situation worse and results in poor survival rates. Recent perspectives demonstrate that although epithelial transformation plays a crucial role in cancer development, tumor surrounding microenvironment takes part in the progression of cancer as well. Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs), which harbor unlimited self-renewal capacity, have a crucial role in the growth of HNSCC and this cell population is responsible for tumor recurrence unless eliminated by targeted therapy. CSCs are not only a promising target for tumor therapy but also a crucial biomarker to determine the patients at high risk for undetermined results and disease development, just as the bone marrow, which is the niche of hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells, is important for stem cell maintenance. Similarly, the concept of microenvironment is also important for the maintenance of CSCs. Apart from the cell-cell interactions, there are many parameters in the cancer microenvironment that affect the development of cancer, such as extracellular regulation, vascularization, microbial flora, pH, and oxygenation. The purpose of this review is to introduce HNSCC, explain the role of CSCs and their microenvironment, and refer to the conventional and novel targeted therapy for HNSCC and CSCs.

头颈部鳞状细胞癌 (HNSCC) 被归类为全球第六大常见癌症，每年的发病率超过 830,000 例，死亡率为 50%。烟草使用、饮酒和人乳头瘤病毒感染是 HNSCC 的主要风险。尽管 HNSCC 的治疗取得了重大进展，但高复发率使临床情况更糟并导致生存率低下。最近的观点表明，虽然上皮转化在癌症发展中起着至关重要的作用，但肿瘤周围的微环境也参与了癌症的发展。癌症干细胞 (CSC) 具有无限的自我更新能力，在 HNSCC 的生长中起关键作用，除非通过靶向治疗消除，否则该细胞群是肿瘤复发的原因。CSC 不仅是肿瘤治疗的一个有希望的靶点，而且还是确定处于未确定结果和疾病发展高风险患者的关键生物标志物，就像骨髓是造血干细胞和间充质干细胞的生态位一样，对于干细胞来说也很重要。细胞维护。同样，微环境的概念对于 CSC 的维护也很重要。除了细胞间相互作用外，癌症微环境中还有许多影响癌症发展的参数，例如细胞外调节、血管化、微生物菌群、pH 值和氧合。本次审查的目的是介绍 HNSCC，