Recent advances and prospect in immune microenvironment and its mechanisms of function in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck cancer (HNC) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The most prevalent pathology among HNC is head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The tumor microenvironment (TME) encompasses the components surrounding tumor cells, including immune cells, stromal cells, extracellular matrix (ECM), blood and lymph vessels. Strategies targeting the TME have yielded significant outcomes. Thus, further exploration of the interactions between TME components is crucial. This review discussed recent advances in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), CD4+ T lymphocytes, regulatory T cells (Treg), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), natural killer (NK) cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) in HNSCC TME. The article summarized herein primarily focused on restoring the activity of anti-tumor cells and eliminating the immunosuppressive effects of Treg and so on, to provide new insights for more effective HNSCC therapy.