Mixing it up: boosting responses with immunotherapy combinations

Trends Cancer. 2025 Jun;11(6):496-498. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.013. Epub 2025 May 6.

Abstract

Whether combination neoadjuvant immunotherapy can enhance response in patients with head and neck cancer remains unclear. Recently, Li et al. demonstrated improved responses with neoadjuvant anti-PD-1+CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1+LAG-3 compared with anti-PD-1 monotherapy. These combination strategies act via different mechanisms with distinct biomarkers of response, highlighting the potential for personalized neoadjuvant immunotherapy approaches.

Keywords: head and neck cancer; immune checkpoint inhibitor; neoadjuvant immunotherapy; single-cell RNA sequencing.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols* / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols* / therapeutic use
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • CTLA-4 Antigen / antagonists & inhibitors
  • CTLA-4 Antigen / immunology
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors* / pharmacology
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors* / therapeutic use
  • Immunotherapy* / methods
  • Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 Protein
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy / methods
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / immunology
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • CTLA-4 Antigen
  • PDCD1 protein, human
  • Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 Protein
  • Lag3 protein, human
  • CTLA4 protein, human
  • Biomarkers, Tumor