Table 2.
Summary of biomarkers that have the potential to predict the clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in head and neck cancer.
| Factors | Better Response | Poorer Response | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tumor-related | PDL-1 | High | Low |
| TMB | High | Low | |
| MSI | High | Low | |
| TME-related | GEP | Inflamed | Noninflamed |
| Immune profile | 1.↑Intratumoral CD8+ T cell infiltration 2.↑CD8+ T cells/Tregs 3. Lower PD1+ Tregs (baseline) 4. Decreased PD-1+ CD8+ T cells (after treatment) |
1.↑Exhausted PD-1+ CD8+ cells (TIM-3+ or LAG-3+) | |
| Host-related | HPV status | HPV positive | HPV negative |
| Smoking status | No | Yes |
GEP, gene expression profile; HPV, human papillomavirus; MSI, microsatellite instability; TMB, tumor mutational burden; TME, tumor microenvironment.