Historical Outcomes with Cetuximab and Taxanes

Paul L. Swiecicki, MD, of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, describes historical outcomes for patients with relapsed or recurrent metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who progress after anti-PD-(L)1 therapy and platinum-based chemotherapy. Dr. Swiecicki explains that data in this setting come largely from control arms of clinical trials and retrospective analyses, since few prospective studies have focused specifically on this post-immunotherapy population. He estimates that response rates to single-agent cetuximab or taxanes have ranged from the single digits up to roughly 10% to 15%, though he cautions that these figures vary and largely predate the modern post-PD-1 treatment era. Progression-free survival (PFS) in this setting has been approximately 2.5 months, underscoring what Dr. Swiecicki calls an area of huge unmet need for patients who have exhausted checkpoint inhibitors and platinum-based options.