Risk–benefit stratification for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in head and neck cancer based on immune-related adverse events and treatment discontinuation using routine clinical indicators beyond PD-L1 expression

Integrating routine indicators-LSMI, age, and LDH-provides a practical tool for identify patients who are likely to derive substantial benefit or experience irAE-related harm from ICIs, enabling optimized patient selection beyond PD-L1 expression in daily clinical practice.