Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, professor and director of Clinical Research, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Surgery, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the prognosis of patients who are diagnosed with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Head and neck cancer encompasses a broad range of cancers that can develop in the mouth, thyroid, skin, salivary glands, and sinuses, says Gross. Each subtype has a different prognosis, he adds. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is one such subset that has been understudied. The primary reason for this is that skin cancers aside from melanoma are too common to account for in national registries.

Early-stage cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is typically treated in the community setting. Once the disease progresses to an advanced stage, patients are referred to centers of excellence due to the aggressive nature of the disease, concludes Gross.

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Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, discusses the prognosis of patients who are diagnosed with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Dr. Gross on the Prognosis of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, professor of head and neck surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses a phase II study of neoadjuvant cemiplimab (Libtayo) prior to surgery in patients with stage III/IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) of the head and neck.

To be included in the trial, patients needed to have advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with a plan for surgery and radiation, explains Gross. The 20 patients included in the trial received a baseline biopsy and then received 2 doses of therapy before receiving standard-of-care treatment with surgery and planned postoperative radiation.

Results of the trial showed a discrepancy between imaging and pathology results. About one-third of patients showed an imaging response to treatment, according to Gross. With pathologic response, however, more than 11 of the patients had a pathologic complete response and had no cancer at the time of surgery, says Gross. An additional 3 patients showed a major pathologic response, suggesting they could have achieved a complete response with further treatment, Gross concludes.

Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, discusses a phase II study of neoadjuvant cemiplimab in patients with stage III/IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS

Articles

Dr. Gross on the Prognosis of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Dr. Gross on Neoadjuvant Cemiplimab in Head and Neck CSCC