HEAD & NECK CANCERS

Nivolumab (Opdivo) has been recommended for approval by EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for the treatment of patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck following progression on platinum-based therapy.

A study presented at the 2017 Cancer Survivorship Symposium revealed a long-term cardiovascular risk associated with administration of levothyroxine.

The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies recently completed its fourth tour, with 8 experts in the field of head and neck oncology traveling to 8 countries over a month to offer continuing medical education courses on treatment paradigms and surgical techniques in head and neck cancer across the world.

Following the approval of 2 immunotherapy agents, pembrolizumab and nivolumab for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer over the last 6 months, immunotherapy is making its mark on the treatment paradigm for HNC.

Researchers in the Netherlands have found that using a gradual or “stepped” approach to providing psychosocial support for patients diagnosed with head and neck or lung cancers not only improves their quality of life but is also cost-effective.

The addition of chemotherapy, either adjuvant or induction, to concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) achieved a significantly high survival benefit for patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The number of positive lymph nodes is an appropriate selection factor in deciding adjuvant chemoradiotherapy use in some patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer, according to the results of a recent retrospective analysis .

With the objective of identifying patients who would derive greater benefit from CRT,  a recent retrospective, observational cohort study examined use and survival outcomes with adjuvant CRT in patients with resected locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Matthew E. Spector, MD, discusses a new biomarker study which found that patients whose oropharyngeal cancer recurred had higher levels of antibodies for 2 proteins, E6 and E7, which are found in HPV-driven cancers.

A novel approach has been developed by researchers at the University of Michigan to treating patients with advanced laryngeal cancer with the hope of improving historical survival rates of 50% to 60% in this setting.

Results of an initial study of tumors from patients with lung cancer or head and neck cancer suggest that acquired resistance to checkpoint inhibitors may be due to the elimination of certain genetic mutations needed to enable the immune system to recognize and attack malignant cells.

Anti-CD22 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy induced an 80% complete remission rate among children and young adults with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Gregory W. Randolph, MD, director, General and Thyroid Surgical Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the future of thyroid cancer treatment.

Immunotherapy has potential in anaplastic thyroid cancer, but it presents a challenge because of the length of time it takes to have an effect. Maria Cabanillas, MD, discusses an upcoming clinical trial that is combining immunotherapy with targeted therapy, that may offer a solution.

The FDA has approved the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab as a treatment for patients with metastatic or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck following progression on platinum-based therapy.

James Allison, PhD, discusses exciting advancements in immunotherapy combinations, the potential synergistic effects of radiation with immunotherapies, and considerations that must be made when combining other agents with immunotherapy.

William Cance, MD, has recently joined the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) as Deputy Director.

An expert discusses the potential role for immunotherapy in frontline head and neck cancer, as well as the possible benefit of using it in combination with standard treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy.

Adding a Toll-like receptor 8 agonist (TLR8) to standard care for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) failed to improve progression-free survival (PFS).

Patients with head and neck cancer whose disease is associated with <em>KRAS</em> variant had significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) when treated with the monoclonal antibody cetuximab (Erbitux), according to findings of a retrospective analysis of a randomized trial.

The FDA-approved fixed dose of 200 mg of pembrolizumab administered once every 3 weeks yielded durable responses in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), according to results from an expansion cohort of the phase Ib KEYNOTE-012 trial.

Barbara Ann Burtness, MD, professor of medicine, Clinical Research Program Leader, Head and Neck Cancers Program and Co-Director, Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Yale Cancer Center, discusses the ongoing trials looking at immunotherapy as a first-line treatment in head and neck cancer.

The FDA approval of pembrolizumab as a treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in August 2016 was extremely significant for this patient population, which previously had limited options following progression on a platinum-based chemotherapy.

The FDA has approved the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as a second-line therapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma for those who have progression on a platinum chemotherapy.&nbsp;

Although paradigms for treating older patients with head and neck cancer are not well defined, advancements in targeted and immunotherapies and less toxic radiation regimens suggest that physicians can aim for a more individualized approach to treating this patient population.