Salivary gland cancer (SGC) is rare and comprises over 20 histological subtypes. Recently, clinical experience regarding immunotherapies for SGCs has been accumulating, yet their efficacy remains controversial. Understanding the tumor microenvironment (TME), including the expression of immune checkpoint molecules in SGC, is crucial to optimizing immunotherapy. In this review, we demonstrate that high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma and salivary duct carcinoma generally exhibit immune-hot TME with high immune cell infiltration, frequent genetic mutations, and robust immune checkpoint molecule expression. In contrast, adenoid cystic carcinomas exhibit an immune-cold TME. While the reported efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for SGCs is generally poor, several studies showed promising clinical efficacy of ICIs, with an objective response rate ranging from 20.0–33.3%, indicating that ICIs might be beneficial for a specific population of SGC. Molecule-targeted therapies including anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and anti-androgen receptor therapies have shown promising clinical efficacy against SGC. Recent evidence indicates that these molecules could be targets for antigen-specific immunotherapies including chimeric antigen receptor-T therapy and cancer vaccines. This review discusses the current understanding and future directions of immunotherapies for SGCs, including ongoing clinical trials.
唾液腺癌是一种罕见疾病，包含超过20种组织学亚型。近年来，关于唾液腺癌免疫治疗的临床经验不断积累，但其疗效仍存在争议。理解唾液腺癌的肿瘤微环境，包括免疫检查点分子的表达情况，对优化免疫治疗至关重要。本综述指出，高级别黏液表皮样癌和唾液腺导管癌通常表现为免疫热性肿瘤微环境，具有高免疫细胞浸润、高频基因突变和显著的免疫检查点分子表达特征。相比之下，腺样囊性癌则呈现免疫冷性肿瘤微环境。尽管已报道的免疫检查点抑制剂对唾液腺癌的疗效普遍不佳，但多项研究显示其具有令人鼓舞的临床效果，客观缓解率在20.0%至33.3%之间，表明免疫检查点抑制剂可能对特定唾液腺癌人群有益。包括抗人表皮生长因子受体2疗法和抗雄激素受体疗法在内的分子靶向治疗已显示出良好的临床疗效。最新证据表明，这些分子可能成为抗原特异性免疫治疗（包括嵌合抗原受体T细胞疗法和癌症疫苗）的靶点。本综述探讨了唾液腺癌免疫治疗的当前认知与未来方向，包括正在进行的临床试验。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家