【Abstract】 The current treatment of recurrent/ metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (R/M HNSCC) relies on platinumbased chemotherapy combined with cetuximab. But patients’ median overall survival is restricted to 610 months. Recently, the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors represented by PD1/PDL1 has provided new treatment options for patients with incurable R/M HNSCC. Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy, targeted therapy, adoptive cell therapy and other immunotherapies have become widely available. Here, we reviewed the recent achievements and discussed future directions in the immunotherapy for R/M HNSCC. Potential biomarkers for immunotherapy were also examined.