{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T08:57:54Z","timestamp":1773824274094,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":75,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,1]],"date-time":"2022-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1661990400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Funds via Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","award":["UID\/NEU\/04539\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UID\/NEU\/04539\/2019"]}]},{"name":"National Funds via Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","award":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04539\/2020"]}]},{"name":"National Funds via Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","award":["UIDP\/04539\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/04539\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomedicines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Head and neck cancer (HNC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Alcohol and tobacco consumption, besides viral infections, are the main risk factors associated with this cancer. When diagnosed in advanced stages, HNC patients present a higher probability of recurrence or metastasising. The complexity of therapeutic options and post-treatment surveillance is associated with poor prognosis and reduced overall survival (OS). This review aims to explore immunotherapy (immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), therapeutic vaccines, and oncolytic viruses) in HNC patients\u2019 treatment, and to explore when, how, and why patients can benefit from it. The monotherapy with ICI or in combination with chemotherapy (QT) shows the most promising results. Compared to standard therapy, ICI are able to increase OS and patients\u2019 quality of life. QT in combination with ICI demonstrates significant response rates and considerable long-term clinical benefits. However, the toxicity associated with this approach is still a hurdle to overcome. In parallel, the therapeutic vaccines directed to the Human Papilloma Virus are also efficient in increasing the antitumour response, inducing cellular and humoral immunity. Although these results demonstrate clinical benefits compared to standard therapy, it is also important to unravel the resistance mechanisms in order to predict the clinical benefit of immunotherapy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biomedicines10092151","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,1]],"date-time":"2022-09-01T21:27:17Z","timestamp":1662067637000},"page":"2151","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":25,"title":["Immunotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer When, How, and Why?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Daniela","family":"Pereira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Polit\u00e9cnico de Coimbra, ESTeSC, UCPCBL, Rua 5 de Outubro\u2013SM Bispo, Apartado 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1457-8992","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diana","family":"Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polit\u00e9cnico de Coimbra, ESTeSC, UCPCBL, Rua 5 de Outubro\u2013SM Bispo, Apartado 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Ci\u00eancias Aplicadas \u00e0 Sa\u00fade (LabinSa\u00fade), Polit\u00e9cnico de Coimbra, ESTESC, Rua 5 de Outubro\u2013SM Bispo, Apartado 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR) Area of Environment Genetics and Oncobiology (CIMAGO), Biophysics Institute of Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), 3004-561 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5205-8939","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Mendes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polit\u00e9cnico de Coimbra, ESTeSC, UCPCBL, Rua 5 de Outubro\u2013SM Bispo, Apartado 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Ci\u00eancias Aplicadas \u00e0 Sa\u00fade (LabinSa\u00fade), Polit\u00e9cnico de Coimbra, ESTESC, Rua 5 de Outubro\u2013SM Bispo, Apartado 7006, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR) Area of Environment Genetics and Oncobiology (CIMAGO), Biophysics Institute of Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), 3004-561 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"European Association for Professions in Biomedical Sciences, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.4103\/njcp.njcp_310_18","article-title":"Head and Neck Cancer Pathology: Old World versus New World Disease","volume":"22","author":"Alfouzan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Niger. 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