# Allergic history and responses to immunotherapy in individuals with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

## TL;DR

People with a history of allergies may respond better to immunotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer.

## Contribution

This study identifies allergy history as a novel predictor of improved response to immunotherapy in head and neck cancer patients.

## Key findings

- Patients with allergies had a 2.78 times higher odds of responding to immunotherapy.
- Current smoking and tumor location in oropharynx/hypopharynx were also linked to better responses.
- Allergy history did not negatively impact survival outcomes.

## Abstract

To elucidate the association between allergy history and response to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RM/HNSCC).

Patients receiving ICI treatment for RM/HNSCC were retrospectively enrolled and classified into two groups based on their previous allergy history. The primary outcome variable assessed was the response to ICI.

A total of 157 patients were included, of whom 27 reported a history of allergies. In multivariate analysis, patients with allergies exhibited an odds ratio of 2.78 [95% confidence interval: 1.54-5.99], significantly surpassing that of the non-allergic group. Other independent predictors of ICI benefit included current smoking status and the primary tumor site being in the oropharynx or hypopharynx. Neither progression-free survival nor overall survival was adversely affected by prior allergy history or smoking status or HPV status or PD-L1 expression.

A prior history of allergies is associated with an enhanced response to immunotherapy in patients with RM/HNSCC.