Nivolumab (MDX-1106 or BMS-936558), an antibody targeting PD-1, has been approved by FDA for the treatment of a broad panel of malignancies, including advanced NSCLC, melanoma, classical Hodgkin lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), urothelial carcinoma (UC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and colorectal cancer (CRC) 8, 67, 68. This evidence concerns the gene PDCD1 and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.