Vol.101 No.4 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 101 No. 4 April 2008
Adoptive Immunotherapy for Head and Neck
Squamous Cell Cancer
Yoshitaka Okamoto
(Chiba University)
To improve the prognosis and QOL of patients with head and neck cancer, the development of new treatment strategies is of critical importance. We found that nasal submucosal administration of antigen presenting cells (APCs) is an effective and useful route for modalities affecting the immune system. Human Va24 natural killer T (NKT) cells have a strong antitumor activity and are activated by a specific glycolipid antigen a-Galactosylceramide (a-GalCer). We carried out Phase-1 and Phase-1/2a study of nasal submucosal injection of a-GalCer-pulsed APCs and the intra-arterial infusion of activated NKT cells in unresectable or recurrent head and neck squamous cell cancer and showed the induction of significant anti-tumor immunity and some beneficial effects. The use of such therapeutic modalities may be helpful in the management of head and neck squamous cell cancer and need to be explored further. We summarize the present status of anti-cancer immunotherapy in the management of head and neck squamous cell cancer.
Key words :head and neck cancer, immunotherapy, NKT cell, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte