Abstract: Head and neck cancer ranks as the eighth most common cancer globally, with over 90% histologically classified as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In recent years, with the rapid advancement of immunotherapy, the combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy has emerged as a prominent research focus in the treatment of HNSCC. Compared with conventional fractionation radiotherapy, hypofractionated radiotherapy demonstrates superior efficacy in triggering antitumor immune responses. Additionally, the combination of hypofractionated radiotherapy and immunotherapy has shown favorable clinical outcomes with acceptable safety profiles in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. In the neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced HNSCC, it also shows significant tumor reduction and down⁃staging effects. This review summarizes recent advances on hypofractionated radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy for HNSCC, aiming to provide novel insights for the treatment of HNSCC.

Key words:  Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, Radiotherapy, Hypofractionated radiotherapy, Immunotherapy