Preclinical data suggest that head and neck cancer is an intrinsically immunosuppressive disease with abnormal inflammatory components in the tumor microenvironment. The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are monoclonal antibodies capable of inhibiting immune suppressive signals to prime anticancer immunity, has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer. However, patients with head and neck cancer present primary resistance to immunotherapy. Many ongoing trials include combinations of immunotherapy with different therapeutic interventions, aiming to improve response rates and overall survival. As novel therapy strategies are leveraged, the significance of immunotherapy in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer continues to be revealed. This review aims to summarize combinational immunotherapy in head and neck cancer.

临床前数据表明，头颈癌是一种内在的免疫抑制疾病，在肿瘤微环境中具有异常的炎症成分。免疫检查点抑制剂是一种能够抑制免疫抑制信号以引发抗癌免疫的单克隆抗体，其开发已经彻底改变了复发性/转移性头颈癌的治疗前景。然而，头颈癌患者对免疫疗法存在原发性耐药。许多正在进行的试验包括免疫疗法与不同治疗干预的组合，旨在提高反应率和总体生存率。随着新的治疗策略被利用，免疫治疗在复发/转移性头颈癌中的重要性不断被揭示。