Head & Neck Cancers | Specialty

The OncLive Head and Neck Cancer condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on treatment for patients with head and neck cancer. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on unmet needs, treatment advances, and ongoing research within head and neck cancer.

Pembrolizumab Plus Chemoradiation Misses EFS End Point in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

July 20th 2022

Pembrolizumab plus concurrent chemoradiation followed by pembrolizumab maintenance did not lead to a statistically significant improvement in event-free survival vs concurrent chemoradiation alone in patients with unresected locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Cabozantinib Demonstrates Long-Term PFS Benefit in Radioiodine-Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

July 13th 2022

Cabozantinib monotherapy maintained continued to provide a superior progression-free survival benefit to that achieved with placebo in adults with locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma, irrespective of histology, according to updated data from the phase 3 COSMIC-311 trial.

Enoblituzumab Trial Ended Early Due to Safety Concerns in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

July 11th 2022

The phase 2 CP-MGA271-06 trial closed early following an internal review of safety data of enoblituzumab plus retifanlimab or tebotelimab as a first-line treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

FDA Accepts BLA Resubmission for Toripalimab in Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

July 6th 2022

The FDA has accepted for review a biologics license application resubmission for toripalimab both in combination and as monotherapy for patients with advanced recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, according to an announcement from drug developer Coherus.

FDA Grants Fast Track Status to PDS0101/Pembrolizumab Combo for Recurrent or Metastatic, HPV16+ Head and Neck Cancer

June 16th 2022

The FDA has granted a fast track designation to PDS0101 for use in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent or metastatic HPV16-positive head and neck cancer.

Updated RATIONALE-309 Data Support Use of Tislelizumab/Chemo in Frontline Recurrent/Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Cancer

June 9th 2022

Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy continued to improve progression-free survival over chemotherapy alone when used in the frontline treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, according to updated data from the RATIONALE-309 trial.

PDS0101 Shows Synergistic Activity With Pembrolizumab in HPV16+ Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

June 7th 2022

The combination of PDS0101 and pembrolizumab led to encouraging responses and favorable safety with no grade 3 or greater treatment-related adverse effects in patients with checkpoint inhibitor–naïve HPV16-positive recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to findings from a prespecified interim analysis of the phase 2 VERSATILE-002 study.

Rivoceranib Elicits Promising Responses in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

June 7th 2022

The oral VEGFR2 TKI rivoceranib demonstrated an objective response rate by investigator assessed RECIST 1.1 criteria of 15.1% and a disease control rate of 64.4% for patients with recurrent or metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Larotrectinib Shows Sustained Efficacy, Safety Benefit in CNS TRK Fusion Cancer

June 5th 2022

Treatment with larotrectinib elicited robust and durable responses, had a favorable safety profile, and sustained survival benefit in patients with central nervous system TRK fusion cancers.

Preview of ASCO 2022: Dr Everett Vokes

June 5th 2022

OncLive® will be LIVE with OncLive® News Network: On Location at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting. Each day, we will broadcast a series of interviews with top thought leaders, to learn their thoughts and reactions to data presented across oncology during the conference.

Avasopasem Reduces Severe Oral Mucositis In Patients Receiving Chemoradiotherapy for Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

June 4th 2022

Avasopasem significantly reduced severe oral mucositis across all intensity-modulated radiotherapy landmarks in patients with locally advanced, nonmetastatic head and neck cancer.

Reshaping the Treatment Landscape for Recurrent/Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

May 26th 2022

In the context of checkpoint blockade in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the results of the phase 3 RATIONALE-309 trial support earlier findings of the role immunotherapy may play for patients in the first line.

Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Unmet Needs and Future Directions

May 20th 2022

Experts highlight remaining unmet needs in the management of radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer and share their hopes for the future.

Practical Advice for Community Endocrinologists and Oncologists Treating DTC

May 13th 2022

Before closing out their discussion on radioiodine-refractory DTC management, experts share practical advice for community physicians.

Patient Surveillance and Therapy Selection in RAIR DTC

May 13th 2022

Shared insight on active surveillance practices for patients with radioiodine-refractory DTC and how disease factors play into selection of therapy at time of recurrence.

Defining RAI-Refractory DTC and Selecting Patients for Disease Monitoring

May 6th 2022

Reflecting on a real-world patient scenario of DTC, experts consider how they identify radioiodine-refractory disease and when they would initiate systemic therapy.

Patient Profile 2: Diagnosing and Assessing DTC

May 6th 2022

Expert Lori Wirth, MD, highlights key points from a second real-world patient scenario of radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

Pembrolizumab With or Without Chemo Has Increased Efficacy With Increasing PD-L1 Expression in HNSCC

May 4th 2022

Pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy resulted in a numerically longer overall survival benefit vs cetuximab plus chemotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and a PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) between 1 and 19, but did not improve survival in the subset with a PD-L1 CPS of less than 1.

Cabozantinib Approved in Europe for Second-Line Radioactive Iodine–Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

May 3rd 2022

The European Commission has approved the use of cabozantinib for use as a single agent in adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma who are refractory or not eligible to receive radioactive iodine and who have progressed during or following previous systemic treatment.

FDA Issues Complete Response Letter to Toripalimab for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

May 2nd 2022

The FDA is seeking the approval of toripalimab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in the frontline treatment of patients with advanced recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma and for use as a monotherapy in the second-line and later treatment of those with recurrent or metastatic disease.