Neck Dissection and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Efficacy in Head and Neck Cancer: A Retrospective Study

Key Points

• The study aims to assess how neck dissection impacts the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors in head and neck cancer patients.
• Conducted a retrospective analysis of head and neck cancer cases
• Compared survival outcomes based on prior neck dissection
• Evaluated efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors based on disease type
• Neck dissection was linked to lower survival rates in locally recurrent disease
• No negative impact was observed in cases with distant metastases
• Findings suggest that neck dissection might impair tumor-draining lymph node function, affecting treatment efficacy