Interaction between tumor metabolism and immune infiltrate in HNSCC

Introduction In HNSCC low T cell counts are detected and correlate with worse prognosis. Furthermore, checkpoint inhibition is of limited efficacy. Immunotherapy response depends on T cell infiltration and function, both affected by the metabolic tumor milieu. We hypothesize that stage and grading related alterations in tumor metabolism impact immune cell infiltration and function. Objectives: We analyzed the metabolic profile of HNSCC and correlated it to immune cell infiltrate and function considering stage and grading. As glutamine and glucose metabolism were significantly altered, the impact of glucose and glutamine concentrations, as detected in HNSCC tissue, was investigated in a mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR). Therapeutic options were tested in a co-culture system of fresh HNSCC tumor samples with leukocytes.