Dr. Bourhis on the OS Benefit of Xevinapant Plus Chemoradiotherapy in HNSCC

Jean Bourhis, MD, PhD, Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, discusses the overall survival (OS) benefit of xevinapant (Debio 1143) plus chemoradiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

A phase 2 trial (NCT02022098) evaluated xevinapant plus chemoradiotherapy vs placebo plus chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced HNSCC.

Previously reported data from the trial showed a progression-free survival benefit for xevinapant vs placebo, and updated findings presented at the 2022 ESMO Congress also demonstrated an OS benefit at 5 years with xevinapant vs placebo, Bourhis explains.

Patients treated with xevinapant plus chemoradiotherapy achieved a 5-year OS rate of 53%, compared with 28% for those given placebo plus chemoradiotherapy, Bourhis continues. Over the past decade, investigators have not been able to find a treatment in HNSCC to improve upon the standard of care of cisplatin plus radiotherapy, Bourhis adds. It is now important to confirm the phase 2 results with xevinapant plus chemoradiotherapy in a randomized phase 3 study, Bourhis concludes.