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.

Toripalimab Approval Pioneers Immunotherapy Use in Nasopharyngeal Cancer

November 22nd 2023

Nabil F. Saba, MD, FACP, and Shravan Kandula, MD, highlight the significance of the approval of toripalimab for nasopharyngeal carcinoma; key data from JUPITER-02 and POLARIS-02 trials; and how the addition of this agent to the treatment armamentarium heightens the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.

NCCN Endorses Goserelin in Salivary Gland Tumors in New Head and Neck Cancers Guidelines

November 13th 2023

TerSera Therapeutics LLC announced that The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Head and Neck Cancers Panel recommended the GnRH agonist goserelin for patients with recurrent, unresectable, or metastatic salivary gland tumors who were not eligible for surgery or radiation therapy.

PDS0101-Based Triplet Provides Survival Benefit in HPV16+ Cancers

November 9th 2023

The combination of PDS0101, PDS0301 (formerly M-9241), and bintrafusp alfa, an investigational immune checkpoint inhibitor extended survival in patients with advanced human papillomavirus 16–positive cancers, according to final data from a phase 2 trial (NCT04287868) led by the National Cancer Institute.

Dr Hadoux on the Efficacy of Selpercatinib in RET-Mutant Medullary Thyroid Cancer

October 27th 2023

Julien Hadoux, MD, PhD, discusses the efficacy of selpercatinib in advanced, kinase inhibitor-naïve, RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer as seen in the phase 3 LIBRETTO-531 trial.

FDA Approves Toripalimab for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

October 27th 2023

The FDA has approved toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorzi) in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with recurrent, unresectable, or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy.

Selpercatinib Significantly Improves PFS, Responses in Advanced RET+ Medullary Thyroid Cancer

October 21st 2023

Selpercatinib resulted in a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival and overall response rate compared with cabozantinib or vandetanib in patients with advanced, multikinase inhibitor–naïve, RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer, according to interim findings from the phase 3 LIBRETTO-531 trial.

Sacituzumab Govitecan Demonstrates Modest Activity in Pretreated HNSCC

October 21st 2023

Sacituzumab govitecan-hziy led to modest but durable antitumor activity with predominant gastrointestinal toxicities in patients with metastatic or locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who received between 1 and 3 prior lines of therapy.

Dr Sher on the Efficacy and Safety of Daily Adaptive Radiotherapy in HNSCC

October 12th 2023

David Sher, MD, discusses efficacy outcomes with daily adaptive radiotherapy with 1-mm planning target volume margins in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Radiotherapy-Activated NBTXR3 Elicits Activity in Older/Comorbid Locally Advanced HNSCC

October 6th 2023

Treatment with the first-in-class radioenhancer NBTXR3 proved tolerable and effective in older patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and a comorbidity index.

Daily Adaptive Radiotherapy Delivers Improved Efficacy and Safety Outcomes in HNSCC

October 4th 2023

Daily adaptive radiotherapy with 1-mm planning target volume margins is feasible in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and was associated with improved dosimetric parameters compared with standard radiotherapy.

NT219 Plus Cetuximab Elicits Responses, Demonstrates Tolerability in Recurrent or Metastatic HNSCC

October 3rd 2023

Second-line treatment with NT219 alone and in combination with cetuximab demonstrated safety and tolerability, and the combination produced confirmed partial responses in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PDS0101 Plus Pembrolizumab Elicits 74% 2-Year OS Rate in ICI-Naïve, HPV16+ HNSCC

October 3rd 2023

The addition of PDS0101 to pembrolizumab resulted in a 2-year overall survival rate of 74% in patients with unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic, HPV16-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who were naïve to an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

TACTI-002 Data Show Antitumor Activity With Second-Line Eftilagimod Alpha and PD-1 Inhibition in HNSCC

September 1st 2023

Bernard Doger de Spéville, MD, PhD, discusses the investigation of eftilagimod alpha plus pembrolizumab in the TACTI-002 trial, including prior evidence supporting this approach, the trial’s design and primary objective, and the combination’s efficacy and safety in both the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and non–small cell lung cancer cohorts.

FDA Grants Fast Track Status to ALE.C04 for Recurrent or Metastatic CLDN1+ HNSCC

August 25th 2023

The FDA has granted fast track designation to ALE.C04 for use as a potential therapeutic option in patients with recurrent or metastatic, Claudin-1–positive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

LEAP-010 Trial Discontinued After OS Projection With Pembrolizumab/Lenvatinib in Metastatic HNSCC

August 25th 2023

The combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival and objective response rate but failed to improve overall survival compared with pembrolizumab plus placebo as frontline therapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Selpercatinib Significantly Improves PFS Over MKIs in RET-Mutant Medullary Thyroid Cancer

August 22nd 2023

Selpercatinib demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival vs physician’s choice of cabozantinib or vandetanib in patients with advanced or metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer, meeting the primary end point of the phase 3 LIBRETTO-531 trial.

FDA Issues CRL to NDA for Avasopasem in Radiotherapy-Induced Severe Oral Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer

August 9th 2023

The FDA has issued a complete response letter to the new drug application seeking the approval of avasopasem manganese as a treatment for radiotherapy-induced severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing standard-of-care treatment.

ENB-003 Plus Pembrolizumab Elicits Safety, Activity in Ovarian Cancer and Other Advanced, Refractory Solid Tumors

July 20th 2023

Treatment with the combination of ENB-003 and pembrolizumab was well tolerated and produced preliminary signs of clinical activity in patients with platinum-refractory or -resistant, microsatellite stable ovarian cancer, and those with other advanced refractory solid tumors.

Setanaxib Plus Pembrolizumab Elicits PFS Benefit in Recurrent or Metastatic HNSCC

July 18th 2023

The combination of the NOX1/4 inhibitor setanaxib and pembrolizumab produced progression-free survival benefits compared with placebo plus pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

ASP-1929 Plus Pembrolizumab Produces Responses, Proves Safe in Recurrent or Metastatic HNSCC

July 12th 2023

Treatment with ASP-1929 in combination with pembrolizumab led to responses and was well tolerated in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.