Personalized cancer vaccination in head and neck cancer

• Published in: Cancer science Vol. 112; no. 3; pp. 978 - 988
• Main Authors: Shibata, Hirofumi, Zhou, Liye, Xu, Na, Egloff, Ann Marie, Uppaluri, Ravindra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Antigen (tumor-associated); Antigen presentation; Antigens, Neoplasm - genetics; Antigens, Neoplasm - immunology; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological - therapeutic use; Cancer therapies; cancer vaccine therapy; Cancer vaccines; Cancer Vaccines - genetics; Cancer Vaccines - immunology; Cancer Vaccines - therapeutic use; Cell-mediated immunity; clinical trial; Clinical Trials as Topic; Combined Modality Therapy - methods; Computer applications; Cytokines; Dendritic cells; DNA Mutational Analysis; Genomics; Head & neck cancer; Head and Neck Neoplasms - genetics; Head and Neck Neoplasms - immunology; Head and Neck Neoplasms - therapy; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Immune system; Immunogenicity, Vaccine; Immunotherapy; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Medical prognosis; Metastases; Mutation; Neoantigens; Patients; Peptides; Precision Medicine - methods; Proteins; Review; Squamous cell carcinoma; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - genetics; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - immunology; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - therapy; Treatment Outcome; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumors; tumor‐associated antigen; tumor‐specific antigen; Vaccination; Vaccines; Vaccines, DNA - genetics; Vaccines, DNA - immunology; Vaccines, DNA - therapeutic use; Vaccines, Subunit - genetics; Vaccines, Subunit - immunology; Vaccines, Subunit - therapeutic use; Whole genome sequencing; clinical trial; cancer vaccine therapy; tumor-associated antigen; tumor-specific antigen; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
• ISSN: 1347-9032; 1349-7006; 1349-7006
• DOI: 10.1111/cas.14784

Cancer is characterized by an accumulation of somatic mutations that represent a source of neoantigens for targeting by antigen‐specific T cells. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a relatively high mutation burden across all cancer types, and cellular immunity to neoantigens likely plays a key role in HNSCC clinical outcomes. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) have brought new treatment options and hopes to patients with recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC. However, many patients do not benefit from CPI therapies, highlighting the need for novel immunotherapy or combinatorial strategies. One such approach is personalized cancer vaccination targeting tumor‐associated antigens and tumor‐specific antigens, either as single agents or in combination with other therapies. Recent advances in next‐generation genomic sequencing technologies and computational algorithms have enabled efficient identification of somatic mutation‐derived neoantigens and are anticipated to facilitate the development of cancer vaccine strategies. Here, we review cancer vaccine approaches against HNSCC, including fundamental mechanisms of a cancer vaccine, considerations for selecting appropriate antigens, and combination therapies. Many patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) do not benefit from checkpoint inhibitor therapies, which highlights the need for novel immunotherapy or combinatorial strategies. One such approach is personalized cancer vaccination targeting tumor‐associated antigens and tumor‐specific antigens, either as single agents or in combination with other therapies. Here, we review cancer vaccine approaches against HNSCC, including fundamental mechanisms of cancer vaccine, considerations for selecting appropriate antigens, and combination therapies.