# Treatment-Related Adverse Events and Health-Related Quality of Life Associated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment for Mucosal Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Scoping Review

Review · O'Donnell ND, Ward EC, Wishart LR, Perera R, Barrett C, Edmiston KA, Mitchell E, Pigott A, Pitt R, Russell K, Chan BA, Ladwa R

- Archive id: doi:10.1002/hed.70306
- Published: 2026-06-01
- Venue: Head & neck
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.70306
- PMID: 42226019
- PMCID: PMC13653308
- Citations: 0
- Source URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.70306
- PDF: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13653308/pdf
- Provenance: europepmc

## Abstract

Background Supportive care needs of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are ill-defined. Hence, known treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with ICI treatment for HNSCC were examined to inform future supportive care services. Methods Scoping review including 98 studies. Results Moderate-severe TRAEs occurred at \< 10% incidence, with most experiencing mild impacts. Dermatologic, endocrine, pulmonary, hepatic, gastrointestinal, and constitutional complaints were reported in \> 40% of studies, with most symptoms occurring during treatment. ICI monotherapy had less reported toxicity than multimodality treatments. Adding ICIs to multimodality treatment creates a minimal increase in TRAEs. HRQoL scores were low, with little change during ICI treatment. Conclusions ICIs for HNSCC are generally well tolerated; however, TRAEs are common and may carry long-term functional consequences. Flexible supportive care pathways are needed to assist early detection and individualized management of functional impacts to optimize survivorship.

_Abstract reproduced under CC-BY (article license as recorded by Europe PMC; abstract reproduced unmodified apart from markup removal)._

Topics: [Cancer Immunotherapy](https://space-kitty.com/topics/cancer-immunotherapy)

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