 Marielle Fares, PharmD, BCGP

Oncoloytic viruses (OVs) are an emerging class of cancer therapeutics that may provide a new strategy against malignant tumors. These genetically modified viruses exert antitumor effects via various mechanisms of action, including selective replication in tumor cells, induction of immunogenic cell death, and stimulation of host antitumor immunity.

In addition to targeting tumors, OVs are hypothesized to have broad immunostimulatory effects as a result of their ability to stimulate the host adaptive immune response.

Various molecular techniques are used to improve the tumor selectivity, safety, and immunogenicity of these viruses. For instance, OVs are engineered to express genes that promote antitumor activity, boost immune response, enhance sensitivity to radiation, improve targeted delivery. In this manner, OVs can produce potent immunostimulatory molecules at the site of the tumor, rather than systemically.

The most common genetic modification is the addition of a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) transgene, designed to recruit and mature local dendritic cells (DCs) and stimulate host immune responses. Upon viral replication, GM-CSF production leads to the subsequent priming of T cells with tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) released by oncolysis.

OVs can also be designed to contain genes encod-ing prodrug-transforming enzymes such as cytosine deaminase and herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 thymidine kinase. The patient is given a harmless prodrug, and the enzyme encoded by this so-called suicide gene converts it into a cytotoxic form in the tumor cell. This process ensures the selective killing of tumor cells expressing thymidine kinase and avoids viral replication in normal cells.

“The OV delivers a 3-pronged attack through selective attack at the tumor sites, potent antitumor effects, and broad immune stimulation,” Mitesh J. Borad, MD, a medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, said in an interview with 

OVs have been typically delivered through intratumoral administration, a method limited by the inability to reach visceral, brain, and metastatic lesions.2 In contrast, intravenous delivery poses the challenge of neutralization by host antibodies and dilution by the immune system. Thus, optimal drug delivery to the tumor site is a barrier to OV therapy.

“One of the major challenges will be sufficient drug delivery to the tumor site,” Jorge Nieva, MD, an associate professor of clinical medicine at Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California in Los Angeles, said during an interview with 

. “A high concentration of product is required for local delivery, and there is a lot of variability in this procedure. Hence the need to improve intravenous delivery of oncolytic virus. In addition, it is possible to increase efficacy through tumor-adjacent delivery, which might require the involvement of interventional radiology colleagues,” he added.

Delivery of OVs to tumor cells is limited by host innate and adaptive immune responses. To over-come the resulting efficacy barriers, cell carriers can be used to transport OVs to tumor cells. Optimal cell carriers must be susceptible to virus infection, have the ability to locate the tumor tissue without being recognized by the immune system, and release progeny virus to attack distant cancer cells.

Recombinant OVs have been observed to reverse immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME), improve tumor immunogenicity, increase infitration of inflammatory cells, and have an antitumor effect.

The most common OVs used in clinical research include adenovirus, HSV-1, reovirus, poxvirus, Newcastle disease virus, and measles virus.

Large DNA viruses encode numerous immunomodulatory proteins that can evade the host immune system to enable viral replication and pathogenesis. Peptide and small interfering RNAs will need to be injected in large quantities at higher concentrations, which poses a major limitation to OV therapy.

HSV is especially suited for use as an OV as it has multiple mechanisms to evade antiviral immune reaction by the host, such as expressing genes that allow it to evade the immune system, incapacitating immunoglobulins via viral glycoproteins, and inhibiting the production of cytokines and chemokines by infected cells.

Oncolytic HSV is widely used in clinical research, and its effects can be enhanced by combining it with immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an attenuated HSV type 1 (HSV-1) OV that encodes GM-CSF for the treatment of unresectable cutaneous, subcutaneous, and nodal lesions in patients with recurrent melanoma after initial surgery.

 In the phase 3 OPTiM trial (NCT00769704), intratumoral T-VEC (Imlygic) induced meaningful tumor regression for at least 6 months in 16% of 436 patients with metastatic melanoma compared with 2% of patients in the control arm who received subcutaneous GM-CSF injection (

 < .0001). The agent gained FDA approval in 2015.

Positive results of T-VEC have boosted enthusiasm in the OV research field. In clinical practice, however, the availability of more effective therapies and inconvenient administration have limited the uptake of T-VEC.

Poxviruses are large, double-stranded DNA viruses that can manipulate the host immune system. Vaccinia and myxoma viruses are both poxviruses but elicit different immune responses in humans, a factor that affects their pathogenic potential. Myxoma is a leporipoxvirus that is nonpathogenic in humans. Vaccinia is an orthopoxvirus that was used to vaccinate against smallpox and is potentially pathogenic in humans.

Pexa-Vec is an attenuated DNA vaccinia virus with deletion of the thymidine kinase gene that is engineered to express GM-CSF. The PHOCUS phase 3 trial (NCT02562755) that evaluated the combination of Pexa-Vec with sorafenib was negative, and patient enrollment was halted at the interim futility analysis.

The myxoma virus is a member of the Poxviridae family of DNA viruses with a large, double-stranded genome that permits engineering of multiple genes, is not pathogenic to humans and can be delivered intravenously. Investigators generated myxoma virus armed with transgenes that was designed to target different points in the cancer immunity cycle and to complement approved immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

RNA helicase A/DHX9 is required for diverse RNA-related essential cellular functions and antiviral responses. Investigators have shown that during the late phase of myxoma virus replication in myxomainfected human cancer cells, DHX9 forms unique cytoplasmic structures termed antiviral granules that reduce protein synthesis in the cells. These granules are not formed, however, if myxoma DNA replication or late protein synthesis is blocked. This novel antiviral function of DHX9 that is recruited from the nucleus to the cytoplasm can be used to enhance OV therapy against cancer cells that would normally restrict myxoma.

Adenoviruses are excellent vectors for OV therapy. They are prone to aggressive replication within tumor cells and can be engineered for enhanced tumor selectivity.

 Similar to all OV counterparts, adenoviruses depend on the expression of specific receptors on the tumor surface for tumor entry, or tropism. Serotype 5 adenoviruses can be modified to contain arginylglycylaspartic acid (RGD) peptides in their fiber knobs to increase tumor tropism and reduce the toxicity of adenoviruses.

 DNX-2401, an RGD-modified adenovirus, was shown to induce durable survival (>3 years) in 20% of patients with glioma.

 Localized intratumoral administration of Delta-24-RGDOX, an oncolytic adenovirus that expresses the immune-stimulatory OX40 ligand, inhibited tumor growth in mice with disseminated subcutaneous and intracranial melanomas and boosted immune responses in virus-injected as well as untreated tumors.14 Investigators have recently engineered adenovirus to target αvβ6 integrin, which is absent from normal epithelium but overexpressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and ovarian, lung, esophageal, and cervical cancers. Because it stimulates angiogenesis and immune suppression, αvβ6 integrin represents a promising target for OVs.

Resistant non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is a challenging condition. The only surgical cure is cystectomy, a complex, life-changing procedure that many patients decline or are ineligible for due to comorbidities.

 Nadofaragene firadenovec (rAd-IFNa/Syn3) is an intravesical adenovirus vector-based gene therapy containing a human interferon alfa-2b transgene that showed promising efficacy in a phase 3 trial (NCT02773849) in patients with BCG-unresponsive nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Complete response (CR) was noted in 53% of patients (n = 55/103) within 3 months, and the response was maintained in 46% of patients (n = 25/55) at 12 months. The adenovirus vector was administered by catheter in a repeat dosing fashion every 3 months at 3, 6, and 9 months. The study is ongoing and will include a monitoring phase.

The most common grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse event (AE) was urinary urgency, and there were no treatment-related deaths. Intravesical rAd-IFNa/Syn3 was efficacious and well tolerated.

Results of this study were very encouraging and offer a feasible treatment that preserves the bladder and can fi t within the routine of a urology practice. This novel option may represent a new gold standard for treating this challenging disease.

Virus Some of the newest OVs are based on vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), including VSV-IFNβ-NIS, a therapeutic developed by investigators at Mayo Clinic, said Stephen J. Russell, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

“VSV-IFNβ-NIS induced good responses in patients with T-cell lymphoma, including a CR that was sustained for more than 1 year,” Russell said. “There were encouraging results from preliminary studies that support the use of a single dose of OV.” This avoids the need for repetitive dosing and preventing neutralization by the immune system. Ongoing phase 2 trials are evaluating single intravenous doses of the VSV-based OV Voyager-V1 in combination with immunotherapy.

Single-dose intravenous Voyager-V1 is being investigated in combination with cemiplimab (Libtayo) in different cancer indications (NSCLC, hepatocellular carcinoma, endometrial cancer, and melanoma; NCT04291105) and in combination with pembrolizumab in NSCLC and HNSCC (NCT03647163).

Studies of OVs in combination with immunotherapy have shown an increase in response rates, providing rationale for further trials using this strategy. OVs have the potential to boost IC inhibition. Tumors with low amounts of immunological cells can be immune activated by oncolytic adenoviruses, causing tumors to become “hot” and boosting the effects of ICIs.

 Investigators have engineered OVs to express PD-L1 inhibitors and therefore block PD-L1 expressed on tumor cells and immune cells, this enhances the activity of neoantigen-specific T-cell responses and potentiates the antitumor effect. This is particularly beneficial in patients who are insensitive to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade.

Positive phase 1 results were reported from a study (NCT02263508) evaluating T-VEC and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in advanced melanoma, resulting in a 62% confirmed objective response rate (ORR), a 33% CR rate, and increased CD8-positive T cells and PD-L1 protein expression in responders.

 In a phase 1/2 trial in patients with advanced melanoma (NCT01740297), T-VEC in combination with ipilimumab (Yervoy) produced a higher ORR compared with ipilimumab alone (39% vs 18%, respectively; 

“Research in oncolytic viruses has been ongoing for the last 15 to 20 years, and the possibility to combine these agents with ICIs will clearly improve the response against TAAs along with improved T-cell tumor response. Before checkpoint blockage, this would not have been possible,” said Nieva.

On the combination of OV and immunotherapy, Russell said, “OV is the perfect partner for ICIs, as the former acts like a tumor vaccine that stimulates T cells and boosts response to TAAs and leaves an immune trail for continued action of the immune system.” Russell added that investigators hoped to combine a single intravenous dose with immune checkpoint inhibition preclinically and get cure responses compared with either approach alone.

Adenoviral therapy in combination with immunotherapy has shown positive results in patients with glioblastoma in the phase 2 CAPTIVE/KEYNOTE-192 study (NCT02798406). DNX-2401, also referred to as tasadenoturev. Patients with recurrent glioblastoma received a combination of DNX-2401 and pembrolizumab. Among 42 patients, the median overall survival (OS) was 12.5 months, and 4 patients were still alive at 23 months. The 18-month OS rate was 20.2%. Results were presented in a late-breaking presentation at the Society for NeuroOncology 2020 Annual Meeting. A single 1.0-mL intratumoral dose of DNX-2401 was followed 7 to 9 days later by 200-mg intravenous pembrolizumab every 3 weeks . Treatment continued for 105 weeks or until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity as described in the CAPTIVE trial (NCT02798406).

OVs in Combination With Adoptive Cell Therapy 

OVs have the potential to transform the immunosuppressive TME into an immunostimulatory environment that permits T-cell entry. OV-induced tumor necrosis may also lead to the release of TAAs, promoting the priming and activation of neoantigen-specific T cells. Findings from preclinical studies have shown that OVs armed with ICIs, cytokines, or bispecific T-cell engagers enhanced the antitumor functions of CAR T cells.

OVs can activate Toll-like receptors and innate immune response pathways to initiate proinflammatory cascades that alter the balance of inhibitory and activating immune cells. OVs have been shown to promote T-cell infiltration and PD-L1 upregulation and to render immunologically cold tumors hot (FIGURE3).

Loading CAR T cells with OV pelareorep, a wild-type reovirus, improved their efficacy in solid tumor mouse models in a preclinical study presented at the CAR-TCR Summit Europe 2021. Pelareorep made tumors susceptible to ICIs and CAR T cells, and it overcame limitations of CAR T in solid tumors that result from insufficient infiltration in immunosuppressive environments. Pelareorep can reverse an immunosuppressive TME, and combining it with CAR T may enable success in solid tumors.

 In a proof-of-concept study, investigators explored the potential of a vaccinia OV expressing a CD19t (truncated variant of CD19) transgene to target CD19-specific CAR T cells to solid tumors. The successful expression of CD19t by infected tumor cells was demonstrated, as were potent antitumor responses in human tumor xenograft and mouse tumor models.

“In oncolytic viral therapy 2.0, innovative techniques will allow us to overcome limitations of OV delivery, preexisting immunity, and reduced efficacy in monotherapy,” said Borad.

OVs represent a new class of cancer therapy with the potential to induce tumor cell death through the channeling of both innate and tumor-specific adaptive immune responses. OVs can be modified to improve antitumor activity by enhancing antitumor immunity through expression of transgenes that increase direct cell killing or enhance host immunity.

A limited number of OVs are approved for clinical treatment. OV therapy does not have a stable curative effect, and its effect is inconsistent among individuals. Combining OVs with immunotherapy, using cell carrier construction or genetic engineering, can improve outcomes in patients.

“In the post–COVID-19 era, it will be important to reassure community oncologists about the lack of disease transmission from these viruses. OVs are modified to be attenuated by deletion of thymidine kinase and hence cannot replicate in normal cells but only in tumor cells that express thymidine kinase,” Nieva said. “Ultimately, each of these therapies will be evaluated individually for a specific clinical use and indication. OVs are highly specific therapies targeted to specific TAAs. The combination of OVs with CAR T cells holds great promise,” he added.

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Articles

Oncoloytic viruses are an emerging class of cancer therapeutics that may provide a new strategy against malignant tumors.

Novel Delivery Systems, Unique Pairings Explored With Oncolytic Viruses

Research on combination therapies involving human papillomavirus (HPV)-targeted vaccines and immunotherapies continues to expand in phase 2 and 3 trials in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). HPV-associated tumors, particularly HPV-16–positive cancers, represent a biologically distinct subgroup of HNSCC.

 These tumors exhibit distinct immune characteristics and a different tumor microenvironment compared with HPV-negative tumors. Patients with HPV-positive HNSCC have a better prognosis and dramatically improved 5-year survival (~70%) compared with their HPV-negative counterparts (~40%-50%).

 Patients with HPV-positive cancers present 13 years earlier at diagnosis and live longer lives. However, treatment for both HPV-related and -unrelated cancer subtypes has largely remained the same. In a step toward precision medicine, investigators are now examining ways to exploit the specific immune properties of HPV-positive tumors to target the viral origin of the disease.

The mainstay of first-line treatment for advanced HNSCC consists of surgery followed by radiotherapy with or without platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with cetuximab (Erbitux).

 Given the high survival rate in HPV-positive HNSCC, efforts have been made to deintensify treatment to reduce toxicities and the resulting comorbidities and their negative impact on patients’ quality of life.

 Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo) were recently approved for recurrent and/or metastatic oropharyngeal cancers (OPCs) in patients progressing on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Pembrolizumab, in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy and 5-fluorouracil, is approved for the first-line treatment of all patients with recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC and as monotherapy in patients whose tumors express PD-L1 with a combined positive score of 1 or more.

Not withstanding the good prognosis seen with HPV-associated HNSCCs, approximately one-third of patients with this cancer subtype will develop metastatic disease and die. No targeted therapies have been developed or approved for those in the HPV-positive HNSCC subset.

 “Despite its different biology, disease characteristics, and behavior, and its viral underlying cause, HPV-associated cancer continues to be treated with the same aggressive chemoradiotherapy regimens traditionally used for HPV-negative cancers,” said Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, director of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, during an interview with 

. “With improved survival comes increased toxicities [and] permanent treatment-related morbidities in a younger population [of patients who have] a longer lifespan [and have] overwhelmed survivorship clinics. These factors have important considerations for society and the health systems that [treat] these patients.” An important unmet medical need exists for safe and effective treatments in this population.

Single-agent PD-1 immunotherapy, however, has demonstrated durable clinical responses and survival in a small number of patients (~20%) with advanced HNSCC.

 Investigational HPV-16–targeted vaccination induced a strong immune response, but was not effective alone at treating advanced cancers.

 Emerging strategies include combinations of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with therapeutic HPV vaccines targeting non–self-antigens to activate the immune system against the tumor.

 This article explores the clinical benefits of therapeutic HPV vaccines in HPV-associated HNSCCs and the ongoing clinical trials combining HPV-targeted vaccines with immunotherapies.

Tumor Microenvironment in Head and Neck Cancers

The tumor microenvironment in advanced HNSCC is highly immunosuppressive and characterized by T-cell dysfunction, low levels of CD4- and CD8-positive T cells, increased regulatory T cells (T

) and natural killer (NK) cells are responsible for tumor attack, whereas T

 mediate tumor cell growth and immune suppression. HPV-positive tumors have greater levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), such as T, B, and NK cells, compared with HPV-negative tumors, and patients whose HPV-positive tumors have higher TIL levels have better out-comes than those with lower TIL levels. Within this microenvironment, outcomes also depend on the balance between levels of tumor-directed T

Therapeutic HPV Vaccination in Combination with PD-1/-L1 Immunotherapy

HPV-positive OPCs, particularly advanced cancers, develop adaptive immune evasion mechanisms through the upregulation of PD-1/PD-L1 check-points. This attenuates CD4-positive T-cell cytotoxic activity, decreases myeloid-derived suppressor cell numbers, and acts through other mechanisms. A strong rationale exists for the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors to improve efficacy and reduce toxicities during deintensification approaches.

The FDA has approved prophylactic HPV vaccines for the prevention of gynecological and oropharyngeal cancers caused by infections with high-risk HPV types, including HPV-16.

 These vaccines stimulate the production of neutralizing antibodies and prevent HPV-associated cancers but do not target viral antigens expressed during the tumorigenic process in HPV-positive cancers.

Viral proteins are considered foreign to the immune system, or non–self-antigens, and represent ideal targets for therapeutic vaccination. HPV viral proteins E6 and E7 are the main oncogenes expressed in HPV-positive cancers that drive oncogenesis and maintain HPV-associated disease.

 Vaccines targeting the E6 or E7 antigens have shown efficacy in HPV-induced cervical dysplasia and investigators are now testing them in head and neck cancers.

 They are also evaluating the E5 HPV viral oncogene in preclinical studies, which is thought to cooperate with E6 or E7 in tumorigenesis.

HPV-specific immunotherapy through targeted therapeutic vaccines triggers strong immune responses and tumor infiltration by HPV-specific T cells

; however, HPV-16–targeted vaccination alone has been ineffective in treating recurrent advanced HPV-positive cancers. An emerging area of interest is the use of HPV antigen–targeted vaccination to stimulate a proinflammatory immune response in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance the effect of these agents. The combination may increase the number of patients who respond to therapy and thus may improve outcomes in HPV-associated HNSCC.

Unique Combinations: Vaccines and PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors

Positive results of a phase 1b/2 trial (NCT03260023) of the investigational therapeutic vaccine TG4001 (tipapkinogene sovacivec) plus avelumab (Bavencio) were recently presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020. Patients (n=34) with previously treated recurrent and/or metastatic HPV-16–positive cancers received TG4001, an HPV-16E6/E7–targeted vaccine, in combination with avelumab.

The overall response rate (ORR) was 23.5% in all evaluable patients, including 7 partial responses and 1 complete response; the latter was durable. Trial investigators observed markedly different ORRs in patients with liver metastases (0%; n=11) and in those without (34.8%; n=23; TABLE).

 Treatment induced an HPV-16 E6/E7–specific T-cell response and favorable changes in the tumor microenvironment, including increases in TILs and the expression of genes related to immune system activation. The authors concluded that a larger, randomized clinical trial was warranted to confirm these findings.

In a phase 2 study, investigators examined whether the HPV-16 vaccine ISA101 could augment the efficacy of the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab in advanced HPV-positive tumors. ISA101 triggers CD4/CD8-positiveT-cell responses and has shown efficacy in advanced gynecological cancer.

Enrolled patients (n=24) had incurable HPV-16–positive gynecological and oropharyngeal tumors, of which 22 were OPCs.

Eight of the 22 patients with OPC (36% ORR) met the primary end point of overall survival (OS) compared with the 16% ORR seen with nivolumab alone in HPV-positive patients in CheckMate-141 (NCT02105636).

 Five of 8 patients (63%) had durable responses, and the OS rate was 70% (FIGURE5). Patients toleratedthe combination of ISA101 and nivolumab well. The median OS of 17.5 months with the combination was approximately double that seen with pembrolizumab or nivolumabin subsets of patients who were HPV-16 positive.

 The study results supported the rationale that using PD-1 inhibitors to block tumor-induced immunosuppression would potentiate the cytotoxic effects of the vaccine and that HPV-16 vaccination would augment the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors in incurable HPV-16–positive cancer. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to validate this combination.

The safety and efficacy of a novel HPV-16/HPV-18–targeted DNA immunotherapy was tested in a phase 1b/2 open-label study (NCT03162224). MEDI0457 was evaluated in 22 patients with locally advanced HPV-16/HPV-18–positive HNSCC.

In an earlier phase 1 pilot study (NCT00685412), women with HPV-16/HPV-18–positive high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia received VGX-3100 alone, which induced E6/E7-specific immune responses and a 50% rate of tumor regression.

 With the addition of recombinant cytokine IL-12 to this HPV DNA vaccine, MEDI0457 is anticipated to boost immune responses by increasing T

cells and overcoming HPV-driven immune evasion.

 VGX-3100 is now in phase 3 trials for the treatment of precancerous cervical, vulvar, and anal lesions.

In the phase 1b/2 trial mentioned above, MEDI0457induced HPV antigen-specific CD8-positive T-cell activity, generated immune infiltration of tumor tissue, and shifted the composition of TILs in the tumor microenvironment toward a proinflammatory state.

 In this trial, MEDI0457 induced persistent peripheral and tumor responses lasting up to 23 months in patients with HPV-16–positive locally advanced HNSCC, including those who had recently received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The results of this study demonstrate the value of therapeutic HPV vaccines as a complementary strategy to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition to improve therapeutic outcomes in HPV-associated HNSCC.

Investigators are now evaluating MEDI0457 in combination with durvalumab(Imfinzi) in a phase 1b/2a study (NCT03162224) in 35 patients with HPV-associated recurrent or metastatic HNSCC.

Interim phase 3 results of JAVELIN HEAD AND NECK 100 (NCT02952586), presented at ESMO 2020, showed that first-line treatment with avelumab plus chemoradiotherapy failed to improve progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locally advanced HNSCC.

 The trial evaluated avelumab in patients (n=697) with histologically confirmed HNSCC who were eligible to receive chemoradiotherapy with curative intent. The PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab was added to standard high-dose chemotherapy to evaluate the impact on PFS. The trial was terminated prematurely because the futility boundary had been crossed.

Patients were randomized 1:1 (n=697) to receive avelumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks plus cisplatin 100 mg/m

 every 3 weeks and 7 weeks of radiotherapy at 70 Gy, followed by avelumab maintenance. In the control arm, avelumab was replaced with placebo.

 Median PFS and OS were not reached in either arm. The hazard ratio for PFS was 1.21 (95% CI, 0.93-1.57, P=.920) based on 224 events, and the hazard ratio for OS was 1.31 (95% CI, 0.93 -1.85; P=.937) based on 131 deaths.

Nabil F. Saba, MD, director of the Head and Neck Medical Oncology Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, pointed out that high doses of radiotherapy (70 Gy) with chemotherapy are highly toxic and may severely damage the activity of T

 cells and impair immune response modulation.

“Results of the JAVELIN trial,” he added, “must prompt us to evaluate the appropriate intensity of chemoradiotherapy that patients receive and the possibility that lower doses or less frequent schedules of radiotherapy may preserve immunomodulatory T

Telomerase reverse transcriptase is over-expressed in most cancer cells and plays a major role in cellular proliferation. UCPVax is a therapeutic vaccine containing telomerase-derived cancer peptides and induces a CD4-positive T-helper immune response against telomerase-expressing cells. The phase 2 VolATIL trial (NCT03946358) is evaluating the efficacy of UCPVax in combination with atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in previously treated patients who are HPV positive.

PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors in Previously Untreated Patients

An ongoing phase 2 trial (NCT04369937)is testing pembrolizumab plus HPV-16 vaccination and cisplatin in newly diagnosed, locally advanced, intermediate-risk HPV-16–associated HNSCC. Investigators are exploring sequential administration of the ISA101b vaccine before pembrolizumab and chemotherapy treatment, said Ferris. Phase 2/3 trials are evaluating immunotherapies in the maintenance setting, including pembrolizumab in KEYNOTE-412 (NCT03040999) and nivolumab in EA3161 (NCT03811015), along with chemotherapy or radiation in intermediate-risk HPV-16–positive HNSCC.

Pembrolizumab is also being tested in AHEAD-MERIT (NCT04534205). This phase 2 trial is examining the agent for the first-line treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC in combination with an investigational mRNA vaccine, BNT 113, a novel immunotherapy agent that targets the HPV-16 E6/E7 viral proteins.

Another trial is investigating CUE 101, a novel fusion protein designed to activate and expand tumor-specific T cells to treat HPV-driven malignancies. The phase 1 trial (NCT03978689) is accruing and will combine CUE 101 with pembrolizumab in patients with HPV-16–positive recurrent/metastatic HNSCC, including those who previously did not benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.

Immunotherapy with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors has advanced the treatment of advanced HNSCC, yet approved treatments do not distinguish between HPV-positive and HPV-negative OPCs. Improved under-standing of HPV-associated tumors shows that immune checkpoint inhibitors have superior clinical benefit in HPV-positive cancers. HPV-targeted vaccines are another promising strategy. Numerous studies combining both immunotherapy approaches in advanced HNSCCs are advancing to late-phase trials and showing higher response rates than those seen with either monotherapy. Results promise to radically change the way clinicians treat HPV-positive cancers through safer, less toxic, and more effective immunomodulatory approaches.

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Research on combination therapies involving human papillomavirus-targeted vaccines and immunotherapies continues to expand in phase 2 and 3 trials in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Marielle Fares, PharmD, BCGP | Authors

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